NTSA under fire after lawyer questions fine payments to private account

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) is under intense public scrutiny after a social media post by prominent city lawyer Donald Kipkorir ignited allegations that motorists are being directed to pay government traffic fines into private bank accounts.

The uproar has forced the authority to issue a formal clarification, even as a KCB banking agent named in the controversy has demanded a public apology from the lawyer.

The controversy began on Monday when Kipkorir took to X (formerly Twitter) to reveal that his younger brother had received an NTSA notification for over speeding.

After dutifully paying the fine at a KCB branch, the payment confirmation bore the name of an individual, Catherine Jerono Tomno, rather than NTSA or a government account.

"The law does not allow Government institutions to open bank accounts in the names of individuals. Is NTSA exempt?" Kipkorir posted, questioning the legality of the transaction. 

The allegation quickly went viral, drawing sharp criticism from Kenyans who have expressed confusion over the NTSA’s policy of requiring physical payment of instant fines at bank branches instead of the widely used eCitizen platform.

In response, a letter from the law firm Limo & Njoroge Advocates accused Kipkorir of defamation, demanding he pull down the post and issue a public apology to Ms. Tomno, a licensed and duly authorized KCB banking agent operating at KCB Freedom Heights.

In a public advisory issued on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, NTSA addressed the public confusion directly.

The authority vehemently denied that public funds are being misappropriated, explaining that the presence of an agent's name in transaction records is merely an intermediate verification step .

"Requiring in-person bank payments adds a critical verification layer on the payment process, this avoids Social engineering fraud," the NTSA statement read.

NTSA Communications Lead, John Nyongesa, defended the authority’s position when contacted for comment, reinforcing the details of the public advisory.

"The eCitizen is secure and it serves as the official payment gateway for Government services. NTSA remains one of the largest users of the eCitizen platform," Nyongesa stated. However, he clarified, "Instant fines ARE NOT paid through the eCitizen platform." .

Nyongesa explained that the decision to use KCB branches is a deliberate fraud mitigation strategy.

"This decision is informed by reports of numerous SMS scams targeting motorists with fake fine payment demands," he explained .

Nyongesa further warned motorists to be vigilant, noting that "Instant fine notifications are sent from NTSA’s official short code (22847_NTSA)" and urged the public to verify the source of any notification before making payments .

NTSA Director General Nashon Kondiwa had earlier explained the rationale behind the physical payment requirement, stating that the authority was aware of potential loopholes in digital payment systems before launching the automated system .

"The reason why we are not using eCitizen is because of fraud. When it is M-Pesa, confusing someone is very easy, so we are having a second layer before people pay," Kondiwa said in a media interview .

Regarding the specific case flagged by Kipkorir, Kondiwa acknowledged an anomaly.

"There is a mistake that was made there. We are still investigating," he said, noting that it appeared to be an isolated case involving a bank agent facilitating a cash transaction for a client who did not have cash on hand .

He insisted that the receipt issued to the motorist clearly shows the official government account where the funds were ultimately deposited, despite the agent's name appearing in intermediate transaction records .

As the debate continues, NTSA has urged members of the public to visit ntsa.go.ke or contact the authority directly through official communication channels for factual information .