• The ban is on the importation of 17 categories of second-hand motor vehicle spare parts.
•The motor vehicle spare parts industry has employed tens of thousands of youth.
Trade CS Peter Munya has said the government will not relent on its directive banning the importation of 17 types of used motor vehicle parts.
Munya on Wednesday said the ban is not a blanket but on specific sensitive parts that cannot be recycled.
They include tyres , tubes, ball-joints, tie rod-ends, rack ends, brake hose pipes ,brake pipes brake and clutch cables and bearings.
Other parts include rubber bushes, oil seals, spark plugs, filters, air cleaner elements, clutch plates, pressure plates release bearings and brake pads.
The Kenya Bureau of Standards has moved to enforce the tough restriction on the importation of used car parts.
Spare part dealers are up in arms saying the move will put thousands out of jobs.
They said most people cannot afford to start brand new spare parts dealership because of the huge capital investment.
Munya said the dealers are not sincere as they are generalising the ban and are only concerned about profits and not the safety of motorists
“There is no way you can use a break pad that is used. You use it and obviously your car will lose breaks and plunge into the river.
“Gentlemen, if you allow break pads that have been used to come into our country, you know the consequences,” he said.
He spoke in Mombasa after meeting the National Assembly Trade and Industry Committee over the Ministry's budget.
“Accidents on our roads are because we have allowed used spare parts that are not safe for public transport to be used,” said the CS.
The CS said standards are important especially where public safety is concerned.
He said apart from break pads, clach plates and tie rods also cannot be allowed in the country if they are not new as this will compromise safety of drivers.
“For those kind of spare parts you cannot afford to use old ones because they won’t work. Your breaks will fail on the roads and then people will die,” said Munya.
Kebs, in a notice sent out to pre-shipment cargo inspectors, has specified 17 categories of second-hand spare parts that are banned from entry into the country in a policy shift intended to rid the market of the used car parts.
The policy change is part of the government’s agenda to gradually phase out second-hand vehicles with the ultimate aim of creating substantial demand for new, locally-assembled vehicles.
The Industrialisation ministry has been developing regulations in the controversial National Automotive Policy intended to restrict import of used cars that are older than five years.
The law currently allows import of second-hand vehicles that are up to eight years old.
The government argue this will boost local manufacturers and create high-quality jobs in the long run.