The Motorists Association of Kenya is demanding urgent transparency from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) over a crippling backlog of 70,000 missing number plates and stalled funds.

A severe administrative bottleneck has brought Kenya's vehicle registration process to a grinding halt. Thousands of motorists are stranded, holding receipts for services the government has failed to deliver.

For the Kenyan economy, this is more than an inconvenience; it is a fiscal chokehold. Stalled registrations delay vehicle financing, disrupt the logistics sector, and leave highly-taxed imported vehicles gathering dust at the Port of Mombasa.

The Anatomy of the Backlog

The scale of the crisis is staggering. According to the Motorists Association of Kenya (MAK), the current deficit includes 51,000 plates for motorcycles, 7,000 for newly imported cars, and 750 specifically for tuk-tuks. This massive shortfall has paralyzed the transport sector, hitting boda-boda operators and commercial fleet managers the hardest.

The core of the dispute centers on missing funds. Motorists are required to pay plate fees upfront during the registration process, while vehicle importers are slapped with substantial excise duties. Despite this massive revenue collection, the NTSA claims it lacks the capital to produce the plates.

The Treasury Blame Game

The NTSA has deflected responsibility, pointing fingers at the National Treasury. The Authority alleges that delayed disbursements from the Treasury have left them unable to pay suppliers, thereby halting the procurement of raw materials necessary for plate production.

• Suppliers remain unpaid, freezing the manufacturing pipeline.
• Importers are incurring daily demurrage charges at Mombasa Port.
• Financial institutions cannot finalize vehicle loans without proper registration documents.

A Call for Accountability

MAK is vehemently questioning the financial architecture of the NTSA. If millions of shillings are collected directly from citizens for a specific service, why are those funds subjected to Treasury delays rather than being ring-fenced for immediate production?

"We are witnessing systemic failure where the citizen pays the price for bureaucratic inefficiency," a MAK representative noted. Until the Treasury and NTSA harmonize their financial flows, Kenya's roads will remain starved of new vehicles, stifling economic momentum.