NTSA traffic fines in Kenya 2026: the full list of instant fines

Since 1 June 2026, a driver caught committing a minor traffic offence in Kenya can admit it and pay a fixed fine instead of going to court. The list of offences and the amounts are not new. They come from the Traffic (Minor Offences) Rules (Legal Notice 161 of 2016), made under section 117 of the Traffic Act. What changed in 2026 is how NTSA and the police enforce them.

This guide gives the full schedule, how a fine is paid or disputed, and what an owner of an Uber or Bolt car needs to sort out with the driver.

What changed in 2026

• March: NTSA switched on an automated "Instant Fines" system driven by traffic cameras. On 12 March the High Court (Justice Bahati Mwamuye) froze it, and NTSA withdrew it on 27 March after a petition by the group Sheria Mtaani.
• 28 May: NTSA announced a rebuilt framework under sections 117 and 117A of the Traffic Act, worked out with the National Police Service, the ODPP and the Judiciary. It took effect on 1 June.
• Early June: NTSA published the list of offences and fines. Citizen Digital's list of 5 June matches the 2016 Rules. No amount was raised in 2026. The schedule still runs from KSh 500 to KSh 10,000.
• 21–22 July: the Senate annulled three other sets of NTSA rules: the Traffic (Motor Vehicle Inspection) Rules, 2026, the Traffic (School Transport) Rules, 2026 and the NTSA (Operation of Commercial Vehicles) Regulations, 2026. Their requirements and penalties can no longer be enforced. None of the fines below comes from those annulled rules. Every line is in the 2016 Rules, which still stand.

Two lines are worth reading carefully after the annulment. The inspection certificate fine (KSh 10,000) comes from sections 16 and 17A of the Traffic Act, not from the annulled 2026 inspection rules. It bites only on vehicles that must be inspected, such as public service and commercial vehicles; private cars are not. The speed governor fine (KSh 10,000) comes from rule 41A of the long-standing Traffic Rules, not from the annulled commercial vehicle regulations.

The full list of NTSA instant fines

These are the amounts in the First Schedule of the Rules (revised text as at 31 December 2022, published by Kenya Law). Legally each figure is the maximum penalty for that offence.

Licences, plates and papers

Speeding

The same scale applies to exceeding the limit for your class of vehicle and to exceeding 50 kph (or the limit on a sign).

More than 20 kph over is not on the list, so it is not an instant fine; it goes to court.

Driving and road conduct

Motorcycles

Public service vehicles (PSVs)

That is all 37 offences in the schedule. Anything else, such as drink-driving or causing an accident, is not a minor offence and goes through the full court process.

How an instant fine is paid

1. You get a notice. A Police Notification of Traffic Offence can be handed to you by an officer, stuck on the vehicle, or sent by SMS, email or an approved platform. Offences can be caught by officers or by cameras. The notice states the offence, date, time and place, the fine, how to pay and the deadline. It can go to the driver or the registered owner, so keep your phone number and email up to date with NTSA.

2. Check it is real. Genuine SMS notices come only from the sender ID 22847_NTSA. Fake fine messages asking for payment to private accounts have circulated since June.

3. Pay at KCB, not eCitizen. NTSA said on 1 July 2026 that instant fines are not paid through eCitizen. They are paid in person into NTSA's account at a KCB branch or KCB agent. Take the details from your notice and keep the receipt.

4. Or dispute it in court. You can deny the offence and go to the traffic court instead. You have the right to see the evidence, such as photos or video. On the police form, bail is set equal to the fine, and cash bail is not accepted. The court can reduce or refund a penalty and can add demerit points to a licence.

Do not ignore a notice. NTSA warns that not paying, not responding or skipping a court date can lead to harsher penalties from the court.

The Sheria Mtaani petition has still not been decided on its merits. One of its complaints, that a notice can be served on a registered owner who was not driving, applies to the current system too.

If you own a car on Uber or Bolt

The notice may come to you. A camera links an offence to the number plate, and the notice can be sent to the registered owner. If your driver was speeding at 2 a.m., the SMS may land on your phone.

Agree in writing who pays. The law does not settle this between you and your driver; your contract does. A fair split is:

• The driver pays for driving offences: speeding, phone use, seat belt, ignoring a sign or police officer, wrong stops, footpaths, letting someone else drive.
• The owner pays for the car's condition and papers: seat belts fitted to standard, inspection certificate, plates, lifesavers and fire extinguisher in the car.

Write it into the agreement, along with how a fine is repaid (one payment, or spread over a few days) and a rule that the driver must tell you the same day about any notice. The driver agreement generator puts traffic fines during the driver's shift on the driver by default; edit that line if you want the split above. The guide to driver–owner agreements explains the rest.

Check the PSV lines. A car carrying paying passengers is a public service vehicle, which is why it needs PSV insurance and NTSA inspection. The fines in the PSV table that matter most to a ride-hailing car are:

• Employing an unlicensed driver: KSh 10,000, charged to the owner. Check that the driver's licence is valid and endorsed for the vehicle, and that they hold a PSV badge.
• Letting someone else drive: KSh 3,000 for each person. A driver who hands the car to a friend for a night shift exposes both of them.
• Tinted windows: KSh 3,000. Remove dark tint before the car goes on the apps.
• No working fire extinguisher: KSh 2,000.
• No valid inspection certificate: KSh 10,000. The 2026 inspection rules were annulled, but PSVs needed inspection before them and still do. See NTSA fees for the cost.

Keep copies of the logbook, insurance, inspection certificate and the driver's licence and badge in the car and on your phone. Most stops are settled faster when the papers are in order.

Where Gariboss fits

Gariboss does not handle traffic fines. It records each car's daily amount, marks rest and garage days as not owed, matches the driver's M-Pesa payments into your own till, and sends you an evening WhatsApp report of who paid. If you agree that a driver repays a fine, write that down separately so the daily amount stays clear.