NTSA To Introduce New Driver Testing System And Expand Inspection Centres

The National Transport and Safety Authority, NTSA, is preparing to roll out automated driver testing and open new vehicle inspection centres, part of a broader push to modernise how the country handles road safety and transport services.

The Ministry of Transport laid out the plans on Thursday, August 27, revealing that the government intends to set up five new automated driver testing units. The theory portion of driving tests is also getting automated; a move officials say will speed things up considerably.

Vehicle inspection is getting the same treatment. NTSA is looking to build five brand-new inspection centres while upgrading five existing ones, all folded into the authority’s medium-term priorities covering the 2027/2028 to 2029/2030 financial years.

According to the ministry, the combined effect of better driver testing and sharper vehicle inspection should translate into real gains for road safety nationwide.

“Under the road safety plan for the medium term, we have prioritised the review of the Transport Act,” the Ministry of Transport said.

The reforms will push forward implementation of the National Mobility Policy, one of several measures the ministry says are aimed at tightening up the transport sector more broadly.

The ministry pointed to model vehicle inspection centres it has already built in Thika, Kiambu, and Likoni in Nairobi, concrete steps, officials say, toward better inspection services. Four testing lanes are also in progress, meant to boost capacity for both driver testing and vehicle inspection.

“We have also operationalised commercial service vehicle regulations 2015, traffic motor vehicle inspection rules 2015 and traffic school transport rules 2015,” the Ministry noted.

Looking further ahead, the ministry is developing what it calls a Smart Transport Policy, alongside plans for an automated fare collection system designed to make paying for transport, across different modes, far less of a hassle.

There’s also a customer-service angle to the plans. The ministry wants to operationalise 14 NTSA service points inside Huduma Centres, putting transport-related services within easier reach for ordinary Kenyans.

Taken together, the reforms reflect a government push to modernise transport services, sharpen road safety, and lean more heavily on technology to streamline driver testing, vehicle inspection and registration.

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