Public service vehicle operators search for number plates after a
police inspection. Registration goes online next month. PHOTO | FILE
By OKUTTAH MARK
Motor vehicle registration and transfer of ownership
are set to become instant from mid-April as the transport regulator
moves the process online.
The National and Transport Safety Authority (NTSA) says the
services will be processed the same day with the introduction of a
Transport Integrated Management Systems (TIMs), down from one to two
weeks currently.
With the system, acquiring a log book will now take
10 minutes from the previous one to six months, according Fernando
Wangila, a director at NTSA.
Acquiring a duplicate log book will take a day from the current two to four weeks, the transport regulator says.
Other than eliminating the manual process of
filling forms, Mr Wangila says the new system will allow car buyers to
self-allocate the number plates of their choice at a premium fee.
Number plates cost Sh2,700 but those who want specific numbers allocated to them will pay more.
This is the latest attempt by the NTSA to streamline the transport sector through the use of technology.
Last year, the authority begun the renewal of
driver’s licences online through the e-citizen portal, It also intends
to introduce smart driving licence that will capture driver’s
information and history.
“At the moment we are seeing lots of people buying
vehicles but due to the tedious process of transferring, they don’t
complete the contract. This legally means they are not the owners of the
vehicles, through the system we want to make these processes instant,”
Mr Wangila told Business Daily in an interview during the ongoing Connected Kenya Summit in Kwale County.
Once on the portal, a user will be asked create an
individual profile by logging in using his PIN number and then enter
chassis car number.
They can self allocate and pick a plate number of
their choice or opt for auto allocate where the system will
automatically select a number.
The users will also be allowed to choose where to
pick up their log books and number plates, be it in Kisumu, Nairobi or
Mombasa.
NTSA also said it is in talks with the Insurance
Association of Kenya to adopt the actuary model in calculating
insurance premiums.
Currently, the premiums stand at four per cent of value of the car across the board.
But Mr Wangila said with the new system, insurance
firms can give incentives to good drivers since they would be able to
determine the number of times a driver had caused an accident while at
the same time be able to identify and deal with reckless ones.
It is now possible to pay for minor traffic offences through
the mobile money transfer services. Traffic offenders pay fines using
mobile money as opposed to going to court as is currently the norm.
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