The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) in Kenya has introduced a new directive requiring owners of public service vehicles (PSVs) with seven seats or more and commercial vehicles with a tare weight of at least 3,048kg to link their vehicles to approved speed-limiter vendors through NTSA's digital compliance platform. This move aims to strengthen road safety by ensuring that speed limiters are installed, certified, and monitored digitally. Vehicle owners must present their vehicles for inspection within seven days of applying.
The directive applies to PSVs with a capacity of seven passengers or more, including matatus and buses, as well as commercial vehicles with a tare weight of at least 3,048kg. Speed governors have long been part of Kenya's road safety requirements for public transport and heavy commercial vehicles. The new digital process requires vehicle owners to access the Intelligent Road Safety Management System (IRSMS) portal and create or verify an account using their KRA PIN and national identification details.
To register a vehicle, owners must select an approved speed-limiter vendor from the list provided on the IRSMS platform and submit their application. The system sends a one-time password (OTP) to the owner's registered mobile number for verification. Once verified, eligible vehicles linked to the owner's records in the Transport Integrated Management System (TIMS) will appear on the platform. The owner then selects the vehicle requiring compliance and chooses an approved vendor before submitting the application.
The seven-day period begins after the owner submits the online application. The vehicle must be presented to the selected vendor within that period for the required installation and registration process. If the owner fails to present the vehicle within the allotted time, the application can expire, requiring a fresh application. After fitting the device, the vendor must register it on the platform and confirm that it is transmitting data.
The new process is not simply about buying and fitting a speed governor; it also requires digital linkage, certification, and verification that the device is functioning and transmitting the required data. Owners whose vehicles already have speed limiters should confirm their compliance status with an approved vendor rather than assume an older installation automatically meets the current digital requirements.
The Ministry of Roads and Transport has previously directed that compliant speed limiters must be functional, store relevant data, and transmit speed information to the NTSA system. Faulty, disconnected, or tampered-with devices can therefore expose operators to enforcement action. The directive comes as NTSA steps up road safety inspections targeting defective speed limiters, driver documentation, passenger capacity, and other traffic offences.
NTSA's move is aimed at enhancing road safety in Kenya by ensuring that vehicles are equipped with functional speed limiters that can be monitored digitally. The authority has restricted the selection of vendors to those who are active on the system, giving it a digital record of the vehicle, its selected installer, and the compliance process. This directive is part of NTSA's efforts to improve road safety and reduce accidents caused by speeding.
Key points
- Vehicle owners have 7 days to link their PSVs and commercial vehicles to approved speed-limiter vendors through NTSA's digital compliance platform.
- The directive applies to PSVs with a capacity of seven passengers or more and commercial vehicles with a tare weight of at least 3,048kg.
- Owners whose vehicles already have speed limiters must confirm their compliance status with an approved vendor to avoid enforcement action.
