Over 2 million Car owners will now be obligated to use an electronic chip sticker that allows secure identification and authentication of vehicle ownership. The project to be launched by the National Transport and Safety Authority will see every car on the road using the electronic sticker or a third licence identification starting July 1.
The Third Licence Sticker will be placed on the windscreen, and will bear the motor vehicle’s registration and ownership, tax, the chassis number and make, and insurance validation, among other compliance and legal requirements.
NTSA director general Francis Meja said the new chip technology will boost Kenya’s tax revenue and support the safety of the traffic network. He said its role is to provide a durable link between the vehicle and the number plate.
Security
“The chip is protected against forgery and any attempts to remove it from the screen destroys it. It will be linked to the Transport Integrated Management Systems (TIMS) which contains all the data for transport operations,” Mr Meja said.
Cost
Motorists will, however, be required to make a one-off payment of KSh 700/- to acquire the sticker. The chip will expire after 10 years, and motorists will be required to pay another KSh 700/- for renewal. The same amount will be paid if the chip gets damaged.
Objective
“We are preparing the ground for a radical change in the way enforcement is carried out in this country. We have been depending on police officers on the ground, but with the new technology enforcement will be modernised,” Meja said.
Features
Some of the features of the third identifier include tamper proof and tamper evident. It will also have read distance of more than six metres and a data retention period of at least 8 years. The chip can pick details of a car travelling at a speed of 200 km/h from a distance of 10 metres from the scanner or reader of the chip.
- It is the NTSA’s plan to have all vehicles registered for the first time in the country tagged with the chip from July 1.
- Phase two will entail issuance of the Third Licence Sticker to all cars that will be inspected from January 2018.
- Phase three of the roll-out will involve collaboration with the insurance industry to enable private motorists to acquire the stickers when renewing their motor vehicle insurance.
He said the fitting of motor vehicles with the chip will begin on July 1, with vehicles seeking new registration. “After that, we will move to all public service vehicles, all trucks and all other private vehicles,” Mr Meja said.
Curb Road Offences
NTSA Director General Francis Meja said on Tuesday that the implementation of the new rule will help curb road offenses, interchanging of number plates as well as reduce crimes conducted using motor vehicles.
The RFID will be detected by scanners and readers fitted in gun-trees and on the NTSA patrol vehicles. Some hand-held scanners will also be able to detect and retrieve information from the RFID chip without the vehicle stalling.
Scanner On The Chip
Details can be retrieved from vehicles moving at up to 200 km per hour, at a distance of 10 metres from the scanner or reader of the chip. Some hand-held scanners will also be able to detect and retrieve information from the RFID chip without the vehicle stalling.
Fight Against Crime
“Apart from road safety, the chip will also help in the fight against crime, as carjacking will be reduced. Currently, it is easy for car thieves to get away with the crime, because they can easily interchange number plates,” he said.
Insurance
He said the chip will help the government to identify the number of vehicles in the country. It will also assist in detecting stolen cars through various checkpoints and automated statistics on traffic volume. Meja said he is holding talks with the insurance industry to convince them to ditch their stickers in favour of the electronic chip.
