A major crisis has gripped Kenya’s car industry. More than 7,000 vehicles are stuck at the Port of Mombasa and various Container Freight Stations (CFSs) due to a prolonged shortage of number plates.
For three months now, dealers and importers have watched helplessly as sales grind to a halt, losses pile up, and frustrated customers walk away.
At the heart of it all is the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), whose incompetence and inaction have deepened the crisis.
NTSA on the Spot as 7,000 Cars Remain Stuck in Mombasa
Car dealers are furious. The NTSA, tasked with issuing number plates and logbooks, has failed to deliver. Suppliers of number plates have not been paid by the government since February 2025, leading to a complete halt in production. Without plates or logbooks, dealers cannot release cars from Mombasa’s CFSs.
“The government has not paid the suppliers, so they cannot print the logbooks and the number plates in Ruaraka. You cannot get a vehicle from the CFS without these documents,” said Peter Otieno, chairman of the Kenya Car Importers Association.
The backlog keeps growing. Every day, hundreds of new vehicles arrive at the port, joining the 7,000 already stuck. Yet the NTSA remains unmoved, failing to address the issue or push the government to clear the debts.
Instead, importers are being forced to use temporary KD numbers at Ksh1,000 per day to move cars locally. Dealers say this is unsustainable and is bleeding them dry. “I sold a car in January, and until now the customer has not received the number plate,” one dealer lamented.
Worse still, customers are losing trust. Buyers fear delays, knowing they might wait months before they can legally drive their vehicles. For dealers, unsold cars mean rising storage costs, shrinking profits, and mounting pressure to sell at throwaway prices.
“For example, by next month, the vehicles that were registered in March cannot be sold at the same price as the vehicles that will be registered in April or May. You have to accept that you have recorded losses,” Otieno explained.
Has NTSA Incompetence Been Consistent?
This is not the first time NTSA has failed. A similar shortage crippled the industry just nine months ago. Yet no lasting solution has been implemented. Instead, NTSA keeps shifting blame to dealers while refusing to acknowledge its own failures.
In August last year, NTSA claimed there was no shortage of number plates, accusing dealers of failing to collect them from designated centres. “There is no shortage. Dealers are currently collecting their plates from the centres they identified during the application process,” NTSA said in a statement.
Such excuses do little to hide the truth. The problem is not with dealers. It lies squarely with NTSA’s failure to fulfill its basic mandate.
The agency moves swiftly when setting up alcoblow checkpoints to collect bribes from motorists. But when it comes to delivering essential services, NTSA drags its feet, leaving an entire industry to suffer.
Dealers Demand Accountability as Losses Mount
The Kenya Car Importers Association has issued a strong call to action. They want the government to immediately pay suppliers and unlock the production of number plates and logbooks.
“Traders are incurring massive losses because of NTSA incompetence. We cannot sell cars, we cannot release cars, and customers are leaving. If the government doesn’t act now, the industry will collapse,” Otieno warned.
Dealers also accuse NTSA of ignoring their repeated pleas for intervention. For months, they have sent letters, made calls, and held meetings with NTSA officials, but nothing has changed.
Instead, they face an agency more eager to fine them or accuse them of negligence than to solve the crisis. “New vehicles are rarely registered. There are no number plates; allocation is even more difficult because the systems are always down. You can barely allocate a vehicle for a whole day,” one dealer shared.
Many traders now fear the shortage will stretch into a fourth month. Every extra day means more cars piling up at the port, higher storage fees, and customers walking away from deals.
The association warns that if the government doesn’t act fast, Kenya risks becoming an unattractive destination for car imports. Already, some importers are considering shifting business to neighboring countries with smoother registration systems.
NTSA’s Double Standards Anger Kenyans
Kenyans are questioning NTSA’s priorities. When it comes to setting up alcoblow roadblocks, NTSA acts with impressive speed and efficiency. Officers are always ready to pounce on drivers, often collecting bribes under the guise of enforcing traffic laws.
But when it comes to fulfilling its real duties—like issuing number plates—NTSA stalls, blames others, and watches as industries suffer. The same energy used to chase bribes on the roads is nowhere to be seen in the offices where real work should be done.
“It’s clear NTSA is more effective at collecting bribes than delivering services,” said one frustrated dealer. “If only they worked half as hard to print plates as they do to set up alcoblow traps, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
The shortage has also exposed the government’s failure to prioritize essential services. For an agency critical to transport and trade, the inability to secure funding for number plates for three months points to deeper rot and negligence.
The question now is: how long will Kenyans continue to tolerate such incompetence? Car dealers, importers, and ordinary citizens are demanding answers—and action.
The country cannot afford to let NTSA’s failures cripple key sectors any longer. Until accountability is enforced, and efficiency restored, Kenyans will keep paying the price for NTSA incompetence.
