The requirement to change old license plates of vehicles registered in Kenya is officially extended to April 2024. The news, which was already prospected 12 months ago but still unconfirmed by the National Transport and Safety Authority (Ntsa), appeared on the Tims website to which one has to refer to process online the application for the change of license plate to get the one with digital microchip as required by the government in order to drive.

Thus, the "race against time" anxiety that, in addition to having Dec. 31, 2023 as the expiration date, sees foreign residents grappling with the bureaucratic delays that have so far slowed down the issuance of license plates, nor with the problems of vehicles owned by tourists and long-term vacationers, or owners even of properties in Kenya, who still do not know whether they will be eligible for the new regulations and consequently be able to drive their cars without problems.

In the meantime, there are seven more months to find out whether it will be possible to access the file online with one's Alien Card number (the old ID card for foreigners, which today, however, is no longer issued after 3 months of stay) or one will have to get a new one issued with a specific request to be able to manage one's services as a nonresident foreigner in Kenya. And this is not only about license plates, but also about the possible sale or purchase of a vehicle, the opening of a bank account and the purchase of other goods.
It is definitely an issue that the Kenyan state will have to handle and resolve, because it does not affect a small number of people who have rights accrued in the past, and the past will have to be considered.

Meanwhile, the NTSA has confirmed that it has extended service hours for its employees to expedite the issuance of the new generation of license plates.
From October, the offices are henceforth operating from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, up from the previous hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. NTSA counters will also remain open on Saturdays during the next two weeks to facilitate the collection of new license plates.
"In addition, the NTSA offices will remain open to the public on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 and Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to enable the collection of license plates," the statement added.

Meanwhile, the authority has asked motor vehicle owners who have received SMS notifications about the withdrawal of reflective license plates to go to the centers identified during the application process.
This comes after Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen ordered the authority to clear the backlog in the printing of driver's licenses, vehicle registration certificates and digital license plates within two weeks.

"To resolve this issue quickly, I will personally supervise the processing, printing and delivery of driver's licenses, vehicle registration certificates and digital license plates, starting today, to ensure Kenyans get better services and value for money," Murkomen said.