Shock as Matatu Drivers Fail NTSA Refresher Licence Renewal Test

Statistics from mandatory tests administered by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to public service vehicle drivers seeking to renew their licences have been quite worrying. 

Of the 302 drivers tested between June 9th and last Friday, only 54 were successful - a mere 18%. The Deputy Director and Head of Safety Compliance Wilson Tuigong conveyed the results. The tests were conducted at the authority's vehicle inspection centre in Nairobi's Likoni Road.

“This shows that the pass rate is 18 per cent, which we mainly attribute to the prolonged lack of a uniform driving curriculum across the country and the previously easily accessible licences, which created room for unqualified drivers to acquire them. In 2018, we came up with rules and a curriculum that would standardise driver training, but it was then rejected by Parliament. We started the process again in 2019 and on March 10, 2020, the rules were gazetted,” said Mr Tuigong.

Mr Tuigong outlined that some of those who didn't pass the driving test had problems recognizing road signs from diagrams hung on the walls of the exam rooms, while others had problems explaining the regulations of a miniature city board - a part of the core driving training. The retest for commercial and Public Service Vehicle drivers is an essential requirement for the renewal of licences for categories B3, D1, D3, C, C1.CE and CD, which cover buses, 14-seater matatus, school buses, and taxis. This re-testing started on June 9, following a directive from Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.

The Transport Act's Section 105A(1) mandates that drivers of public service or commercial vehicles have to take a physical fitness test, including an eye and hearing test, from a qualified medical expert once a year from the date when their driver's licence was issued under Section 30.