Inside Secret Deal By NTSA Over Digital Number Plates
Omtatah claimed that a memo written by an official at NTSA was addressed to its Director General Benjamin Njao.
Marvin Chege 
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah on Sunday, September 18 claimed that there was an irregular procurement surrounding the launch of the new-look digital registration number plates launched by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
Addressing the media, Omtatah claimed that a memo written by an official at NTSA was addressed to its Director General Benjamin Njao.
The memo, which was written by the Director of Registration and Licensing, had inquired for permission for the procurement of the number plates for mass production to be done directly.
Okiya Omtatah at the Supreme Court during the hearing of the presidential petition. /FILE
Omtatah was shocked by the memo since former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i had launched the number plates on Tuesday, August 30. He sampled the number plates before announcing that they were ready for rollout.
"Around August 30, Interior CS Fred Matiang'i convened a meeting in Ruiru and had samples of the digital number plates. He announced that the plates would begin operations on October 1 and people were given 18 months to obtain the plates at a cost of Ksh3,000
"What is shocking is that I received a certain memo dated September 6 addressed to the Director General from the Director of Registration and Licensing. The letter was asking for permission to use direct procurement. If these number plates had already been made for use and samples launched, why the need for procurement," he said.
The Senator added that as a result, he planned to file a petition against NTSA over the procurement process.
Speaking during the launch of the new generation plates at GSU Recce unit Headquarters in Ruiru, Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS), Fred Matiang'i revealed that the plates would be launched starting with the KDK series for newly-registered vehicles from October 1, 2022.
The plates will also put Kenya on the global map, among countries that are compliant with the Vienna Traffic Conventions on global standards for number plates including look-and-feel features.
The plates are in compliance with the amended Traffic Act of 2016 and will bear additional inbuilt features. Some of them will be displayed physically and others visible plainly to security agencies for ease of tracing in the event they are involved in committing a crime.
Matiang'i noted that the new number plates will make it difficult for the production of fake number plates which have been used in criminal activities.
“Criminals have been driving cars around with number plates that were initially issued to tractors. Many bankers have been left holding logbooks registered fraudulently since they cannot trace the vehicles used as collateral,” he said.
To curb incidences of tax evasion in the sale of motor vehicles, the number plates will be synchronised with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) systems. This is one of the unique features that the plates will carry.
Others include a unique template, a specially-imprinted national flag, hologram, watermark, unique and different serial numbers for rear and front plates linked to the vehicle’s chassis number and customized font.
To enable wireless information transfer between it and mobile police devices or at traffic signals, the new number plates are attached with a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) microchip placed on the sticker.
The smart plates, which will be easily identifiable to law enforcement officers, will also store information such as year of manufacturer, type and colour of vehicle, engine number, transmission type, date and place of manufacture, and insurance details.
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