NTSA inspection 2026: what the Senate annulment means for Uber and Bolt cars

2026 has been a confusing year for vehicle inspection in Kenya. NTSA published new rules, the High Court suspended them for private cars, and in July the Senate annulled them altogether. If you own a car on Uber or Bolt, though, the bottom line has not moved: a car carrying paying passengers is a public service vehicle, and PSVs were subject to NTSA inspection before the 2026 rules and still are.

What happened in 2026

• February: NTSA published the Traffic (Motor Vehicle Inspection) Rules, 2026 (Legal Notice 13), to start on 1 July 2026. They required a yearly inspection for every vehicle more than four years old — private cars included — with new fees: a KSh 1,000 booking fee plus up to KSh 1,000 at the centre for a car under 3,000cc.
• 1 July: the High Court in Kiambu suspended the rules for private, non-commercial vehicles, pending a constitutional petition.
• 21–22 July: the Senate annulled the inspection rules, together with the Traffic (School Transport) Rules, 2026 and the NTSA (Operation of Commercial Vehicles) Regulations, 2026. Its Committee on Delegated Legislation found them heavily prejudicial to vehicle owners and lacking public participation. Annulled rules cannot be enforced — including their new fee schedule and penalties. NTSA can bring revised rules back through the approval process.

What applies now

Before the 2026 rules, private cars were largely exempt from mandatory inspection; the requirement applied mainly to public service vehicles, commercial vehicles, driving school vehicles and government fleets. With the 2026 rules gone, that is where things stand again:

• A car on Uber, Bolt or Little: inspection is still required as a PSV. Keep a valid inspection certificate and sticker.
• A private family car: no annual inspection for now.

Because the 2026 fee schedule fell with the rules, check the fee eCitizen shows you when you book rather than relying on a figure from the 2026 announcements. Budget a couple of thousand shillings a year per car in the daily amount calculator until it settles.

How to book

1. Log in to eCitizen and open the NTSA services.
2. Choose motor vehicle inspection, enter the registration number and pick a centre and date.
3. Pay the fee shown through eCitizen.
4. Take the car to the centre on the day with the logbook details.
5. If it passes, you get an inspection report and sticker, to be displayed. If it fails, you get a defect report: fix the faults and go back for re-inspection.

Inspections are done at NTSA inspection centres. Be wary of anyone offering to "arrange" a sticker.

What gets checked

The inspection looks at whether the car is safe to be on the road: steering, brakes, tyres, lights and wiring, suspension, windscreen, seat belts and the general condition of the body. Most failures on ride-hailing cars are the predictable ones — worn tyres and brakes, and lights — so check those the week before.

Uber's own inspection is separate

Uber also asks for a vehicle inspection report when a car joins, done at its own inspection centres at no cost. That does not replace NTSA's. See the full list of papers.

Watch for revised rules

The Senate's decision leaves room for NTSA to publish revised rules. If it does, private cars may come back into annual inspection and fees may change. We will update this guide when that happens.

Never miss the date

Gariboss keeps every car's inspection and insurance dates and warns you before they run out — next to what each car owes you tonight.