Cabinet secretary Michael Kamau unveils new sticker to rid roads of old cars

Kenya: There will no longer be any tolerance for unroadworthy vehicles after the Government unveiled a new car registration sticker meant to rid them from Kenyan roads.

Transport Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau and National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) officials said the stickers have a bar code with numbers to help police determine mechanically sound vehicles.

"Our new stickers have a bar code with an ISDN number that police can use to determine where the vehicle was inspected.

"Traffic police can dial the number 22486 together with the vehicle's registration number and immediately find out where the vehicle was last inspected, proving whether it is roadworthy or not," explained Mr Kamau.

He was speaking at a meeting with all divisional traffic enforcement officers aimed at adopting and implementing tough road safety measures for the festive season.

The CS highlighted the need to introduce new tactics in the fight against road carnage, noting that 2,771 people had lost their lives this year to road accidents.

According to Kamau, the nine per cent drop from last year's 3,051 road-related deaths was a step in the right direction in ensuring no more lives were lost on the roads.

"We have had a significant drop in road-related deaths since last year, but we are aiming to attain a 10 per cent drop before the end of the year. We are going to establish new policies, especially in driving schools, to ensure there is a reduction in road carnage," he said.

He further pointed out that by March next year, drivers' licences would be re-issued in order to curb the counterfeits, which has been a major contributor to road crashes.

"Drivers with fake licences have contributed to road carnage and we feel this move will help phase them out," he added.

NTSA Director General Francis Meja pointed out the proposed policies to the Attorney General such as withdrawal of a driver's licence if one is found responsible for causing an accident.

"Policies such as publication of PSV badges belonging to and controlled by the company or Sacco have been forwarded and are waiting to be gazetted," he said.