The State Department for Transport and Infrastructure on Monday, May 20, revealed that the government gains 8-fold from every motorist with a smart driving licence.
During a Parliamentary Session, the Department revealed that the National Treasury had allocated Ksh140 million for the issuance of smart driving licence in the 2024/25 financial year.
These funds would go towards issuing 400,000 smart DLs in line with the international standards in driving licensing and identification.
This means that the government uses Ksh350 to manufacture each smart driving licence.
A photo of printed-out smart DL as shared by NTSA on February 19, 2023.
Photo
NTSA
In turn, every motorist is required to pay Ksh3,000 plus an extra Ksh50 convenience fee to acquire the same document, showing that the government benefits over eight times from every driver.
Additionally, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) plans to phase out the old driving licence within three years in line with the National Road Safety Action Plan 2024-2028.
In the plan, the Authority revealed that instant fines and a point-based system would be introduced to ensure compliance with the traffic laws.
“This is critical to the integrity of road safety in the future and will be accompanied by identity checks to eliminate identity fraud through the licensing system,” read part of the regulations.
During the proceedings, the Committee sought clarification over whether the Ksh140 million set aside by the National Treasury was an accurate figure to issue the required DLs and whether the cost could be lowered.
The acquisition and subsequent renewal of a smart DL is accessible through the eCitizen portal. Normally, the application and issuance of a driving licence take approximately five working days.
The process can at times prolong, forcing motorists to wait for weeks and months to acquire the document.
A smart DL comprises a chip that stores a driver’s essential information such as their name, date of birth, and gender among others.
The document will also consist of a demerit point system whereby a driver has deducted points for every traffic offence committed.
The points system is capped at 100 points.
The old driving licence (right) and the Smart DL
Photo
World Bank
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