The Kenyan Government has today unveiled the new digital number plates. The new plates were launched by Interior CS Fred Matiang’I.
Besides the new font used on these number plates, they also feature inbuilt security aspects that the government says will make it easier to trace ownership of cars by law enforcement agencies. The government had earlier this year announced that these new plates would be unveiled to comply with the amended Traffic Act of 2016. The new plates will feature a QR code, hologram, NTSA serial number (front diff from back plate) and Kenyan flag.
Some of the inbuilt security features will be visible physically while others only to security agencies. This the government says will be useful when the vehicles are involved in committing crime.
These new digital number plates will be fixed to vehicles imported to Kenya at the point of entry. They will also be synchronized with KRA systems as a way of dealing with tax evasion by car dealers.
“The work is being done by a multi agency unit of the security sector and is part of the reforms initiated by President Uhuru Kenyatta after the 2019 Dusit attack,” said Interior CS Fred Matiang’I.
“When the NTSA team calls on Kenyans to change the plates, let us obey and get it done within those 18 months,” he added.
According to the Transport CS James Macharia, these new plates will cover 12 categories of vehicles and will allow ease of monitoring vehicles coming into the country that ranks as a major transit hub in the region.
“They form a basis for tracking and monitoring vehicles in the country which have risen significantly from 3.2M million last year to 4.8 million this year,” said CS Joseph Mucheru (ICT).
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