By Samwel Doe Ouma
@samweldoe
National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has announced
a national roll out of mandatory third identification sticker aimed at
identifying and authenticating vehicle owners for vehicle undergoing new
registering and inspection.
According to statement on NTSA website, commencing 1st
September 2018 all motorists requesting for motor vehicle transfers and issuance
of duplicate logbooks will also be required to have the mandatory e-sticker.
“The third generation identification stickers will be placed
on the left hand side of the wind screen of motor vehicles. The stickers will
host critical motor vehicle details in an electronic format such as chassis
number, make and color, registration, number and motor vehicle ownership,” the
statement said.
The sticker’s security features is meant to help in the
fight against crime, as carjacking will be reduced. Currently, it is easy for
car thieves to get away with the crime, because they can easily interchange
number plates.
In Kenya number plate forgery is a common phenomenon,
motorists are exposed to possible arrest and sometimes end up charged and
prosecuted wrongfully for crimes they did not commit as most criminals use fake
plates similar to those of an innocent car owner.
To get the e-sticker Motor Vehicle owners will be required
to apply for the third identifier sticker online through the Integrated
Transport Management System (TIMS), available on the NTSA website.
It is believed that fitting of the digital monitoring
devices will help in smart regulation as NTSA will be able to monitor and
record behavior of the driver on the road.
The public announcement comes in the backdrop of official
publication in the Kenya gazette of legal notice on implementation of traffic
rules 2016 notice 62 of April 15th. The legal notice exempts Motorbikes,
three-wheeler taxis and tractors from having the electronic chip sticker.
