The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has warned that thousands of vehicles remain registered to previous owners because buyers have not completed online ownership transfers.
In a statement on October 13, the Authority said many sellers had initiated the transfer process, but buyers had not logged into their NTSA accounts to accept or decline the requests.
As a result, the transfers remain incomplete, leaving the sellers as the registered legal owners of the vehicles.
“Until the buyer consents, the transfer cannot be completed, and the seller remains the legal owner of the vehicle,” NTSA stated.
The Authority urged buyers with pending applications to log into the NTSA Service Portal and complete the process without delay.
How Buyers Can Complete Pending Vehicle Transfers
NTSA outlined the steps buyers must follow to approve or decline a pending vehicle ownership transfer through the online platform.
Buyers must log into their accounts on the NTSA Service Portal, accessible through the eCitizen platform, and open the notifications section on the homepage.
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They should then select the relevant transfer notification and either accept or decline the request. Buyers who accept must provide the required details and submit the application to NTSA for approval.
Once the application is submitted, the Authority will process it and generate an electronic logbook (eLogbook) reflecting the completed transfer.
NTSA said the process takes one day, after which it generates the eLogbook, provided the necessary requirements have been met.
“Once submitted, the Authority will process the application and generate the eLogbook.,” NTSA said.
Buyers Can Reject Transfer Requests
The Authority clarified that buyers are not obligated to accept a transfer request and may decline consent through the online portal.
If a buyer rejects the application, NTSA said the seller will receive a notification that consent has not been granted.
The clarification matters for motorists who have sold their vehicles but have not yet completed the formal transfer of ownership. Until the process is finalised, the vehicle remains registered in the seller’s name.
This means sellers should confirm that buyers have completed the required steps rather than assume that initiating a transfer automatically changes the registered ownership.
NTSA Warns Against Sharing Personal Details
Alongside the transfer notice, NTSA cautioned motorists against sharing sensitive personal and vehicle information with third parties.
The Authority warned the public against disclosing phone numbers, National Identification details, vehicle information and account login credentials, urging motorists to safeguard their information when accessing online services.
NTSA also clarified that it sends official service alerts only through the shortcode NISA, advising the public to be cautious of messages claiming to originate from the Authority through other channels.
Also Read: NTSA Announces Eye-Screening Checks for Kenyan Drivers
NTSA Steps Up Road Safety Measures
The vehicle transfer notice comes as NTSA pursues other measures aimed at improving road safety, including an eye-screening initiative targeting motorists across the country.
During a press briefing on October 9, the Authority announced that its officers would monitor drivers on the roads and ask whether they had undergone the ongoing eyesight checks as part of efforts to improve compliance with the initiative.
NTSA said the exercise aimed to address human error, which it estimates contributes to 20 to 30 per cent of road crashes in Kenya.
The Authority identified eyesight as a key driving factor, noting that motorists rely on their vision to spot hazards, judge distances, and make decisions while navigating different road conditions.
An NTSA officer explained that many drivers’ decisions depend on visual judgment, making proper eyesight a key consideration for road safety.
“We realized that 90 per cent of the decisions that drivers make are mostly judgment from the eyes. The eyes are the ones which help to see and make judgments,” NTSA officer said.
The officer added that the Authority would continue roadside monitoring to determine whether motorists participated in the screening exercise.
NTSA will ask drivers about their participation as it steps up efforts to encourage compliance.
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