If you own a car or motorcycle in Kenya, you’ve got some paperwork to tackle. The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) wants every vehicle owner to get their duty records and tax status sorted out.
NTSA Director General George Njao announced that the authority has rolled out a new vehicle update tool on their portal. It doesn’t matter if you’re driving a matatu, a Probox, or riding a boda boda; this applies to you.
The process isn’t just for individual owners either. Financial institutions holding vehicle titles, government agencies with fleets, insurance companies, car dealers, and any organization with road-legal carriages need to get their records updated too.
Read: NTSA Audit Reveals KES 176 Million Worth of Smart DLs Remain Unprinted
To get your vehicle records updated, you’ll need to write a duty record update request letter to NTSA that includes your contact information, specifically your phone number and email address.
Along with your request letter, you’ll need to bring a copy of your ID, the original vehicle logbook, the Kenya Revenue Authority entry document, and your duty payment receipt.
The unfortunate bit is you’ll need to physically visit the nearest NTSA office and submit everything in person. Once they receive your paperwork, they’ll stamp a copy of your request letter as proof they’ve got everything.
NTSA promises to review and process your application within seven working days, but that countdown only starts after they’ve verified all your documents are correct and complete. If you submit incomplete paperwork, you’ll have to start over.
Once NTSA processes your records, they’ll notify you to come collect your updated documents. You can only pick them up Monday through Friday during business hours, and you’ll need to bring that stamped request letter and your original ID. If you’re representing a company or organization, you’ll also need an authorization letter.
After getting your updated records, you’ll need to apply for a duplicate logbook through the eCitizen portal, which will cost you KES 2,550. NTSA has said that this new logbook will be ready in three working days.
The record update itself won’t cost you anything, as it’s completely free. The only expense comes when you need that duplicate logbook.
It should go without saying, but we’ll say it anyway: if anyone contacts you claiming they can fast-track your application or influence the process for a fee, report them immediately.
