Vehicles classified as beyond repair will no longer be allowed on Kenyan roads starting July 1, under new motor vehicle inspection regulations introduced by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
The regulations, gazetted by Roads Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, establish a formal framework for classifying salvage vehicles and permanently removing those deemed irreparably damaged from circulation.
Under the new rules, vehicles placed in Category A, also referred to as “Actual Loss” vehicles will be automatically considered unfit for use on public roads. Such vehicles will be de-registered by NTSA, and their number plates withdrawn, effectively ending any possibility of them being repaired and returned to road use.
The notice states that “a Category A salvage vehicle shall not be operated on a public road; and shall be de-registered by the Authority and its number plates withdrawn.”
The policy is aimed at addressing long-standing concerns in the transport sector, where severely damaged vehicles are sometimes repaired and resold to unsuspecting buyers despite posing significant safety risks.
For Category B vehicles, which sustain structural damage but are still repairable, the rules provide a conditional pathway back to the road. Owners will be required to restore such vehicles to roadworthy condition before presenting them for inspection by NTSA.
In addition, these vehicles must have their registration records updated to reflect their salvage status before they can be legally operated again. NTSA will also retain their number plates until the vehicles successfully pass inspection after repairs.
The regulations further introduce stricter accountability measures for insurers and vehicle owners. Any insurance company, individual, or entity that fails to report a vehicle as salvage to NTSA will be committing an offence under the new framework.
Motorists who continue operating vehicles that should have been classified as salvage, without the proper status reflected in official records, will also be in violation of the law.
Beyond salvage classification, the new rules also expand mandatory annual inspections to private vehicles older than four years. The inspections may be conducted not only by NTSA but also by licensed private inspection centres, marking a shift toward a more decentralized inspection system.
The regulations are expected to tighten road safety oversight while closing loopholes that have previously allowed unsafe vehicles back onto Kenyan roads.