AfriPulse
Jubilee presidential candidate Fred Matiang’i has criticized the planned mandatory annual vehicle inspections, which will cost Sh2,000 per vehicle.
The Jubilee Party deputy leader said the rollout moved forward without enough public participation. He argued that while road safety remains a legitimate national goal and many Kenyans want safer roads, fewer accidents, and vehicles that meet acceptable standards, the process must remain transparent.
“Public policy must be evidence-based, proportionate, transparent and sensitive to the economic realities facing citizens. The proposed inspection regime fails that test,” Matiang’i said.
In a statement issued Sunday morning, the former interior cabinet secretary said motorists already face heavy financial pressure from high fuel prices, multiple taxes and levies, rising insurance premiums, expensive spare parts, parking charges, licensing fees, and a growing cost of living.
“Introducing another compulsory annual payment without demonstrating its necessity places yet another financial burden on households and businesses that are already under immense pressure. Road safety is essential. Excessive financial extraction is not,” he said.
“We therefore call upon the Government to immediately suspend the implementation of this directive and subject it to a comprehensive public review. This is also a constitutional issue. Public power must always be exercised reasonably, proportionately, and in the public interest. Citizens should never be treated merely as sources of revenue,” Matiang’i added.
Matiang’i said the Jubilee Party will urge Parliament to subject the policy to immediate scrutiny and require the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to present all supporting evidence before it proceeds.
“We call upon all Kenyans to reject this policy in its current form and to demand a transparent, evidence-based, and affordable road safety framework that protects both lives and livelihoods.”
He said Kenyans deserve clear responses to concerns surrounding the planned inspections. “Specifically, Kenyans deserve clear answers to the following questions: How many active private vehicles will be affected by this policy? How much revenue does the Government expect to collect annually?”
Matiang’i also asked NTSA to explain what evidence shows that annual inspections for vehicles older than four years will significantly reduce road accidents. He questioned how often mechanical defects contribute to crashes compared with human error, poor road engineering, and traffic congestion. He further asked whether NTSA currently has the inspection capacity to serve millions of motorists efficiently without long delays or opportunities for corruption.
The former minister further said NTSA must explain what safeguards it has put in place to ensure the programme does not turn into another route for rent-seeking and harassment of motorists.
“Road safety cannot be reduced to the collection of inspection fees. Before imposing mandatory costs on citizens, the government must publish the data, the policy analysis, the cost-benefit assessment, and the implementation plan that justify such a far-reaching decision,” he added.
Matiang’i also argued that if the government truly wants to save lives, it must tackle the major causes of road accidents in a comprehensive way. He listed reckless driving, speeding, drunk driving, poor road design, inadequate road maintenance, weak enforcement of existing traffic laws, and traffic congestion.
“Vehicle condition is only one part of a much larger road safety strategy,” he said.
Source: NairobiWire.com | Read the Full Story…
