In August of 2022, the then Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government Fred Matiang’i, and the authorities concerned with Kenyan roads and their safety, including the Ministry of Roads and Transport and National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA), announced the launch of new generation number plates to replace the old ones and drivers and car owners were mandated to apply for it before the deadline set around October of 2023 at that time.
It was because the new form of number plates uses RFID (radio frequency identification) tagging, which allows instant and automatic car identification as it can be scanned by traffic police using chip-readers from a distance of up to 100 metres.
Because of the enhanced security features, vehicle owners in Kenya were lawfully forced to get these new generation number plates, also referred to as digital licence plates or reflective number plates, to curb theft and fraud.
But today, still on Kenyan roads, it is not surprising to see some vehicles having the old type of number plates and if you are wondering why, it is because even after the rumoured April 1, 2024 deadline, NTSA is still urging motorists to apply for digital plates as the applications have not yet been closed.
How do I apply and get new generation number plates in Kenya?
As stated, NTSA, National Transport Safety Authority, is the issuer of this new generation number plates as it is the chief government agency tasked with planning, managing and regulating the road transport sub-sector in Kenya.
And since NTSA moved all its services to the E-Citizen Platform and closed down the NTSA TIMS Account, the application for the digital licence plates is via E-Citizen by following these steps online;
1. Visit E-Citizen at accounts.ecitizen.go.ke
2. Enter your details to log in and access government services
3. Go to the NTSA Service Portal
4. Click on the View Motor Vehicle tab to see all its motor vehicle services
5. In the menu, select ‘reflective plates’
6. Choose your desired design of the digital number plate based on shapes as either oblong or square for motor vehicles and motorcycles
7. Attach the required documents in the next section in one PDF format
8. Check if the filled information is correct, then scroll down to tick the declaration box for consent
9. Proceed to pay
10. Wait to collect the digital number plate from NTSA offices
How much does the NTSA digital number plate cost in 2024?
You will need to pay Ksh3,050 to get the new generation number plates from NTSA, and you will be issued a pair of reflective plates. If you want a single number plate, the charge is Ksh1,550 in 2024.
After applying for it, the waiting time before you can collect at the Authority’s offices is seven working days. You will be informed via SMS when it is ready for collection.
What are the collection requirements for new plates?
When you go to collect the new generation number plates from NTSA offices, there are some documents you need to take with you:
Carry your National ID, Smart Driving Licence, your current logbook plus the previous one if there is one and copies of original IDs and have the old plates for disposal.
You will receive the digital plates for your vehicle after all verifications have been done and completed. A process that merely takes 15 minutes.
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