The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) Instant Fines Traffic Management System is now live. Motorists on the wrong side of the law will receive traffic violation notifications on their mobile phones via text messages.
“All fines issued through the system can be paid through the branch network of KCB Group within 7 days. Failure to settle the fine due within the 7 days will result in the amount due earning interest,” the authority notes in a statement.
Motorists with pending fines will also be locked out of the NTSA’s online services platform. This is important as actions like transferring ownership of a vehicle with accrued fines won’t be possible.
1,000 speed enforcement cameras, 700 fixed and 300 mobile, to be deployed, with instant fines now applicable to 37 types of traffic violations.
Depending on the specific offense, motorists can expect to pay anywhere from KES 500 to KES 10,000 in fines.
Some offenses carry only a warning, 1 specifically targets pedestrians, while a number are aimed at Public Service Vehicles (PSVs), commonly known as matatus.
Notably, the system automatically bills the registered owner’s phone for any offences committed by a matatu or boda boda.
NTSA Instant Fines Cost Chart
| Nature of Offense | Penalty (KES) |
| 1. Driving without identification plates affixed or plates not fixed in the prescribed manner | 10,000 |
| 2. Driving a vehicle without a valid inspection certificate inspected. | 10,000 |
| 3. Driving without a valid driving license endorsement with respect to the class of vehicle. | 3,000 |
| 4. Failure to renew a driving license. | 1,000 |
| 5. Driving a PSV while being unqualified | 5,000 |
| 6. Failing to carry and produce a driver’s license on demand. | 1,000 |
| 7. Exceeding the speed limit prescribed for the class of vehicle | By 1-5 kph – Warning By 6-10 kph – 500 By 11-15 kph – 3000 By 16-20 kph -10,000 |
| 8. Exceeding the speed limit of 50 kph or as prescribed by a traffic sign | By 1-5 kph – Warning By 6-10 kph – 500 By 11-15 kph – 3000 By 16-20 kph -10,000 |
| 9. Driving on or through a pavement or a pedestrian walkway. | 5,000 |
| 10. Failure of a driver to obey any directions given, whether verbally or by signal, by a police officer in uniform, in the execution of their duty. | 3,000 |
| 11. Failure of a driver to conform to the indications given by any traffic sign. | 3,000 |
| 12. Failure of a driver to stop when required to do so by a police officer in uniform. | 5,000 |
| 13. Causing obstruction by allowing a vehicle to remain in any position on the road to obstruct or cause inconvenience to other traffic using the road. | 10,000 |
| 14. Failure to display reflective triangles or lifesavers in cases where any part of the vehicle remains on the road in a position to obstructing or causes obstruction. | 3,000 |
| 15. Driver of motor cycle carrying more than one pillion passenger. | 1,000 |
| 16. Driving a vehicle on a footpath. | 5,000 |
| 17. A pedestrian willfully obstructing the free passage of vehicles. | 500 |
| 18. An unlicensed person driving or acting as a conductor of a PSV. | 5,000 |
| 19. Owner or operator of a PSV employing an unlicensed PSV driver or conductor. | 10,000 |
| 20. Failure to refund fare paid for the incomplete portion of the journey for which the full fare has been paid. | 3, 000 |
| 21. Touting. | 3, 000 |
| 22. Failure of a PSV driver or conductor to wear a special badge and uniform. | 2, 000 |
| 23. Motorcycle rider riding without protective gear. | 1, 000 |
| 24. A person who, while not being the designated driver of a PSV, drives the vehicle | 3,000 |
| 25. The driver of a PSV who lets an unauthorized person drive the vehicle. | 3, 000 |
| 26. Learner failing to exhibit ‘L’ stickers on the front and rear of the motor vehicle. | 1, 000 |
| 27. Failure by the owner of a vehicle to have seat belts in a motor vehicle as prescribed in Rule 22A(1). | 1,000 for every seat that is not fitted or is not of the proper standard or specification |
| 28. Failure to wear a seat belt while a motor vehicle is in motion. | 500 |
| 29. Failure of a conductor of PSV to keep seat belts in a clean, dry and generally wearable condition. | 500 |
| 30. Failure of a vehicle to carry reflective warning signs (lifesavers). | 2, 000 |
| 31. Failure to fit the prescribed speed governor in PSV and Commercial Vehicle. | 10, 000 |
| 32. Driving or operating a PSV with tinted windows or a windscreen. | 3, 000 |
| 33. Failure of a PSV to carry functional fire extinguishers and fire kits. | 2, 000 |
| 34. A driver using a mobile phone while the vehicle is in motion. | 2, 000 |
| 35. The driver of a motor omnibus or matatu picking up or setting down passengers in a place that is not authorized as a bus stop or terminal. | 3,000 |
| 36. A passenger alighting or boarding any omnibus or matatu at a place which is not authorized as a bus stop or terminal. | 1, 000 |
| 37. Traveling with part of the body outside a moving vehicle. | 1, 000 |
The system will also incorporate a Driver Merit and Demerit Points System, enabling real-time tracking of driver behavior and creating a structured mechanism for rewarding compliance and penalizing repeated traffic violations.
