There is an opening for all non-resident Kenyan car owners.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has in fact published in recent days an updated procedure to be used when applying for new number plates following the migration of services to eCitizen.
As we had written some time ago, there is time until next April, unless further extensions are granted, to change your old car number plates with the new ones equipped with a microchip, one of the many reforms that bring the country up to the standards of advanced countries, to avoid counterfeiting and limit corruption at all levels.

Originally, however, the procedure for acquiring the new number plate did not include owners of vehicles who, not being residents, since they were denied the possibility of renewing the 'Alien Card', i.e. the identity card for foreigners (except, of course, with the usual fees), would not have been able to renew, since the NTSA site required precisely a valid Kenyan document.

After pressure from the Italian authorities and also from us, who had already sent a letter to the local motor vehicle registration office last July, NTSA published the new procedure, for which it will be necessary to enter the new NTSA site directly from the e-citizen platform, to which everyone should already be registered, since practically all the services that tourists, residents and citizens need and can use are to be found there. From our tests, there will be no need for a valid identification number, because simply the e-citizen user and password, and the Kenyan phone number to which the OTP will be sent, will be valid.

Here, then, is how to apply for the new number plates:

To begin with, motorists will need to log into their eCitizen account and select the new NTSA service portal. After selecting the NTSA portal, motorists will need to select the motor vehicle section to view the services offered.

Click on motor vehicle services and then on the reflective number plate. Select the type of licence plate and the collection office of the counter and attach the required documents in PDF format.

Scroll down and tick the declaration box, then click preview and submit to pay for the reflective plate and click complete,' the notice reads in part.

According to the NTSA, applicants can apply for a single or a pair of the new number plates.

Single plates will cost motorists Ksh 1,550, while double plates will cost Ksh 3,050.

The NTSA pointed out that once the steps are completed, a withdrawal notification will be sent via SMS.

All requests will be processed within seven working days from the date of the request (So it says...)

"We ask motor vehicle owners who have received SMS alerts about the withdrawal of reflective number plates to go to the centres identified during the application process," the notice reads in part.

The new number plates will have new safety features such as a standardised font, the specially imprinted national flag and a hologram of the Big Five, the iconic animals of the Kenyan savannah.