A crisis has hit Kenyan businessmen and car dealers as a nationwide shortage of vehicle number plates stalls the sale and registration of vehicles.
According to the traders at the port of Mombasa, they are incurring losses running into millions of shillings.
Further, the Kenya Car Importers Association has blamed the government’s failure to pay suppliers, which has paralyzed the printing of number plates and logbooks at the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) facility in Ruaraka.
Additionally, the association’s National Chairman, Peter Otieno, said that over 7,000 vehicles are currently stuck at the Port of Mombasa and container freight stations (CFSs), unable to be released or sold.
“The government has not paid the supplier. So, the supplier cannot print the logbooks and the number plates at Ruaraka. You cannot remove the vehicles from the CFS,” said Otieno.
“And even if you can remove the printout from the NTSA website and sell that vehicle, the customer will keep on abusing you. Actually, there are some that are being abused.”
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Car Dealers on the Impact of the NTSA Delays
The shortage, which began in February, has now entered its third month, affecting operations for car dealers across the country.
At the same time, vehicle salespersons have expressed their frustration, explaining that they have had to deal with frustrated clients and handle stalled deals.
Some customers have been forced to use temporary KD plates, which cost them Ksh1,000 per day, as they wait indefinitely for permanent plates.
“In February, I sold a vehicle to a customer who has not received their plate number to date. There is another one who bought a vehicle in January and wants a logbook. So there is a big problem,” said Akinyi Susan, a salesperson in Mombasa.
Consequently, dealers now face the risk of selling older-registered vehicles at a loss, as newer stock registered in later months affects pricing and market demand.
“Now by next month, the vehicles that were registered in March, you can’t sell them the same price that the vehicles were that were registered in April or May. SSo you have to accept that you have recorded a loss,” added Otieno.
Also Read: NTSA Issues Directives to Motorists Over Logbooks & Number Plates
Earlier Response from NTSA
In August 2024, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) refuted claims of shortage of number plates, saying that the delays were due to the dealers themselves.
NTSA claimed that the dealers ought to collect their plates from centres identified during the application process.
“There is no shortage. Dealers are currently collecting their plates from the centres they identified during the application process,” stated the authority.
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