The government has further suspended the retesting of commercial and public service vehicles (PSVs) for a period of three months.
In a notice on Friday, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen stated that the extension would offer his ministry adequate time to reach a consensus with stakeholders regarding the retesting of the drivers.
“This is to notify members of the public hereby that the suspension of retesting of drivers who are holders of driving licenses with class endorsement(s); B3, D1, D2, D3, C, C1, CE, and CD has been extended for a period of 3 months effective from the date of this notice,” read the notice released on Friday, October 6.
National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) announced on June 20, 2023 that the periodic retest will be mandatory, conducted every three years before a driver renews their license.
“The re-test is for commercial and public service vehicle drivers and is a pre-requisite for renewal of driving licenses with class endorsement(s); 83, D1, D2, D3, C, Cl. CE and CD. 2. The re-test shall be conducted every three years upon the expiry of driving licenses with class endorsement (s): B3, DI, D2, D3, C, Cl. CE and CD,” said the authority in a statement.
These classes comprise drivers of commercial and school buses, matatus, and taxis.
The re-tests were to be conducted in all NTSA Driver Test Units and drivers will be required to apply online via their e-citizen account at a fee of Sh 1,050.
Data from the Ministry of Transport revealed that out of 1,847 drivers across the country who underwent a retest between June 9 and June 30 this year, only 576 passed the exercise with 1,170 recording a fail.
In Nairobi, where most of the retests were conducted, out of the 978 drivers who underwent a retest, 297 passed while 581 failed.
In July, the government however suspended the mandatory requirement for all commercial and public service vehicle drivers to undergo a driving re-test before renewal of their licenses.
The requirement for a retest announced by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) had prompted drivers in the country to declare a national wide strike on July 12, 2023
However, CS Murkomen announced the suspension of the regulations, noting that a multi-agency team would be established to look into the concerns raised by the drivers.
On their part, the drivers claimed that the new NTSA rules requiring them to undergo a new test for driving is discriminatory.
The fitness of drivers had recently become an issue of concern after it emerged that a majority of them have been failing the re-test.
