What Next After NTSA Deadline for New Plates Lapsed? 

Kenyans have been encouraged to continue applying for the new reflective car number plates introduced by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA). 

A source at NTSA told Money254 that the authority was encouraging Kenyans to continue making new number plate applications, rather than awaiting enforcement of the directive. 

The source noted that the eCitizen platform was working efficiently, even after the lapse of the April deadline, with some car owners getting new plates for a period as short as seven days. 

Car owners who applied for the new plates and are yet to get them have a reason to be hopeful after Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen moved in to end a backlog of uncollected new places at NTSA headquarters. 

Murkomen on Tuesday, April 4, visited NTSA headquarters at Upperhill and asked the authority to come up with a system that fastracks communication to applicants whose new plates have been printed. 

The same applies to driving licenses and logbooks where most Kenyans have no hurry in picking them up - unless they are in need during a transfer or a financial transaction where the documents are needed. 

The new plates were launched on August 30, 2022, at an event presided over by then-Interior CS Fred Matiang’i. 

The process was initially intended to be done within 18 months, with April 1, 2024, being the deadline. Ahead of the deadline, NTSA extended its operating hours to 11 hours between Monday and Friday - and worked on select 8-hour shifts on Saturdays.

The cost of getting the new plates is Ksh3,000 with an additional Ksh50 convenience fee on the eCitizen platform. 

Here is a summary of how to apply for new generation number plates on eCitizen: 

• Sign in to your e-Citizen account.
• Choose the NTSA service portal (New).
• Pick your motor vehicle and click "view."
• Click on "motor vehicle services" and then "reflective plate."
• Select the type of plate and the collection office.
• Merge all necessary documents into one PDF file.
• Scroll down, check the declaration box, and click "Preview."
• Submit to make payment for the reflective plate and then click "complete."
• You'll receive an SMS notification when the plates are ready for collection.