Drivers aged 60 and over will need to renew their licences annually and submit a mandatory medical report to prove their fitness to be on the road, should a new proposal by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) become law.

The proposed change, announced on Thursday, marks a significant shift from the current system where all motorists renew their licences every three years without a mandatory medical assessment. This move, according to the NTSA, is a critical safety measure aimed at protecting older drivers and other road users, rather than a move to pry into their private health matters.

Samuel Musumba, the NTSA's Manager for Road Safety Programmes, confirmed the plan, noting it falls under a new driver curriculum designed to enhance road safety. "Within the new curriculum for drivers, once you hit 60 years, you will be required to renew your licence every year and not every three years," Musumba stated in a radio interview on December 18th. He emphasized the role of the medical report in this new process. "As you renew every year, we will be asking you for a medical report... We will be looking at this from a safety point of view," he explained.

Assessing Fitness Behind the Wheel

The core of the proposal is to ensure that as drivers age, their physical and mental fitness to operate a vehicle is regularly verified. The NTSA suggests that with the medical assessment, they can provide tailored advice to senior motorists. "We will advise you and say that now that you are 60 years old, avoid speed, and plan your journey early," Musumba added.

This places a new financial and logistical burden on senior drivers. While the NTSA has not specified the cost under the new proposal, a standard one-year licence renewal currently costs KES 650, plus a KES 50 service fee. The additional cost and time required for an annual medical examination will be a new consideration for thousands of Kenyan families who rely on their older members for transport.

A Proposal Awaiting Parliamentary Greenlight

It is crucial for motorists to understand that these changes are not yet in effect. The proposal is part of the NTSA's long-term road safety strategy but must first be submitted to Parliament for debate and approval. The process will also require public participation before it can be enacted into law.

The announcement comes as the authority itself is under scrutiny. The government recently decided to transfer the management of the second-generation smart driving licence program to a private entity after the NTSA failed to meet issuance targets for years. Since its launch in 2017, only 2.1 million smart licences have been issued against a target of five million, a challenge attributed to operational failures and a preference by some motorists for the yearly electronic renewal slip.

• Who is affected: All drivers aged 60 and above.
• What is proposed: A shift from a three-year to an annual licence renewal.
• New Requirement: A mandatory medical assessment report must be submitted with every renewal.
• Status: The changes are proposals and have not yet been passed into law.

As this proposal moves towards the legislative process, the debate will likely centre on balancing road safety with the practical implications for the financial and daily lives of Kenya's senior drivers. The final outcome will depend on the input of lawmakers and the voices of the very public it aims to protect.