The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has unveiled a fully automated Instant Fines Traffic Management System designed to streamline enforcement of road regulations and reduce corruption in traffic policing. The new platform will issue violation notifications directly to motorists via SMS, eliminating human intervention in the process.
Motorists flagged for traffic offences will be required to settle fines within seven days through KCB Group branches. NTSA warned that failure to pay within the stipulated period will attract interest charges and block access to its service platforms until penalties are cleared. “Motorists are advised to observe all traffic regulations and respond promptly to any official notifications received,” the Authority said in a statement.
The rollout follows a directive by President William Ruto on March 2, instructing the Ministry of Transport and NTSA to implement the instant fines programme within a month and install surveillance cameras in major urban centres. During a high-level road safety meeting under the National Council on the Administration of Justice, the President criticised delays in reforms aimed at curbing rising road fatalities and corruption in traffic enforcement.
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Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir confirmed that the programme will be completed within a month under an investor-supported initiative. He said the system will reduce direct interactions between motorists and traffic police, curbing bribery and ensuring accountability.
The reforms form part of broader proposals to amend the Traffic Act, introducing administrative penalties and a demerit point system for driving licences to handle minor offences outside lengthy court processes. The government is also pursuing digital reforms in the transport sector, integrating traffic enforcement systems with law enforcement, prosecutors, and the judiciary.
Additional measures under consideration include deploying body-worn cameras for traffic officers, strengthening anti-bribery safeguards, and enhancing monitoring of enforcement personnel. President Ruto emphasised that road safety must be pursued through a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, noting that digitisation has already reduced corruption across government systems.
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NTSA reiterated that motorists with pending fines will not be able to transact on its platforms until penalties are cleared, urging drivers to comply with traffic rules and embrace the new system as part of a national transformation in road safety management.
By Masaki Enock
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