Govt Approves Instant Fines, Rolls Out Mobile Courts for Motorists
Thinking of driving upcountry this festive season? Here is something you should know first.
Kenya is entering a new era of traffic enforcement. In a Cabinet meeting on December 15, 2025, the government approved second-generation smart driving licences delivered through a public–private partnership (PPP)—linking licences to instant fines, a mobile licence wallet, and a driver merit–demerit points system.
On the same day, the Judiciary announced the deployment of mobile traffic courts, both physical and electronic, to charge traffic offenders on the spot during the holidays.
These twin moves are designed to reduce carnage, digitise enforcement, and cut cash-on-road interactions that fuel bribery.
What Was Approved and What It Means
The Cabinet dispatch explicitly ties next-gen smart licences to an instant fines system and a points framework, with payments made digitally via a mobile wallet integrated into NTSA services.
The aim is to modernise licensing and create a consistent, data-driven enforcement backbone.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice Martha Koome, speaking after a National Council on the Administration of Justice (NCAJ) meeting, outlined a multi-agency plan to charge offenders on the spot during the holiday transport surge.
The Judiciary urged Kenyans to desist from giving bribes and while assuring that there will be human-rights monitoring during enforcement. The public was also urged to use 999/911/112 to report dangerous driving or corruption.
Locations of mobile courts are to be shared publicly, and motorists who are charged will be allowed to contact their advocates.
How “Instant Fines” Will Actually Work
Kenya has already piloted digital speed cameras on major Nairobi corridors—Thika Superhighway, Mombasa Road, Southern/Northern Bypass, and Red Hill Link.
When you exceed the posted limit:
- The system captures your plate
- Posts the fine to your NTSA account
- Sends an SMS with the offence details and payment instructions.
The expectation is cashless settlement via mobile money/eCitizen, reducing roadside cash handling and disputes.
Motorists can track violations and pay digitally through the NTSA services portal (eCitizen), which consolidates licensing, registration, and compliance workflows.
This integration is central to making enforcement quick, visible, and tamper-resistant.
The Legal Backbone for Fixed-Penalty Handling
Kenya’s Traffic Act (Cap. 403) authorises fixed-penalty treatment for minor traffic offences via Section 117, including the use of a prescribed police notification that allows a driver to plead guilty and pay without appearing in court.
The 2016 Traffic Rules list offences and statutory maximum penalties, and include the formal notification/summons template used nationwide.
Illustratively, the Rules stipulate bands for speeding:
- 1–5 km/h over: warning.
- 6–10 km/h over: ksh 500.
- 11–15 km/h over: ksh 3,000.
- 16–20 km/h over: ksh 10,000.
Zone-specific applications and corridor rules may influence the actual penalty reflected in your notification.
Serious offences (e.g., reckless driving causing injury, drunk driving) still proceed to full court process and may attract harsher sanctions beyond fixed penalties.
Demerit Points: Your Licence, Quantified
NTSA operates a Demerit Points System:
- Drivers start with 20 points, and deductions follow the severity of recorded violations.
- Losing ≥10 points within a year can trigger a refresher course
- Reaching 0 points may lead to licence suspension for a defined period.
The Cabinet’s smart-licence decision embeds this scoring into the enforcement stack for continuous behaviour tracking.
Why the Crackdown Now
The Judiciary cites rising fatalities—including a 5% year-on-year increase and 28 deaths in the first half of December—as the urgency driver for multi-agency visibility, night patrols, and on-the-spot case handling.
The approach is to deter, digitise, and de-congest while protecting due-process rights.
What Motorists Should Do (Starting Today)
- Obey posted limits—cameras are live on major Nairobi corridors; fines post instantly to your NTSA account with SMS confirmation.
- Pay digitally—use eCitizen/NTSA to clear penalties promptly and avoid escalations or points depletion.
- If charged at a mobile court, ask to contact your advocate, refuse bribes, and report misconduct via 999/911/112.
With smart licences, instant fines, demerit points, and mobile courts, enforcement is becoming faster, cashless, and data-driven.
The cheapest path is still the simplest one: drive within the law, settle violations promptly, and protect your points.
