The transport agency has published new traffic regulations and put on notice motorists found breaking them. According to the new fines, driving a vehicle without a valid inspection certificate will force you to part with Sh10,000. Driving a public service vehicle without a certificate of qualification will attract an instant fine of Sh5,000. Failure to renew, carry or produce driving licence will cost Sh1,000, and driving a vehicle without the identification plate affixed or not fixed in the prescribed manner will attract a Sh10,000 fine. In the new rules, any motorist who exceeds the speed limit by more than five kilometres per hour will only be served with a warning. However, exceeding limit by six to 10 kilometres will force you to part with Sh500, Sh5,000 for 11-15kms, and Sh10,000 for 16-20kms. A common tradition in the city where matatus usually ‘overlap’ during heavy traffic by using the pedestrians’ walkways will attract a fine of Sh5,000.
Failure to obey a uniformed traffic officer’s verbal or signal instructions  will cost Sh3,000 and Sh5,000 if the driver fails to stop when required to do so.
A Sh10,000 fine will be charged on motorists causing obstruction or inconveniencing others while Sh500 will be imposed on a pedestrian blocking vehicles. Fine on failure to display life savers has been capped at Sh3,000; driving on a footpath Sh5,000 and any motorcycle operator carrying more than one passenger will be fined Sh1,000. Also, a rider without protective gear will be fined Sh1,000, as well as the passenger. The revised rules have become even more stringent on matatu operators where touting is now an offence with a fine of Sh3,000 if found. Operating (being a driver or conductor) a public service vehicle without the necessary licence will attract a Sh5,000 fine while the owner or operator of the vehicle parts with Sh 1000
A common tradition of conductors not giving change to pedestrians will now see them part with Sh3,000. Those (drivers and conductors) who do not wear badges or uniforms will be fined Sh2,000. dirty seat belts A person, while not being the designated driver of the PSV who drives the vehicle will be fined Sh3,000, same as the authorised driver. Also, failure to have seat belts (or substandard and worn-out seat belts) will be charged Sh1,000 for every seat on the owner of the vehicle. If found not wearing a seat belt while the vehicle is in motion then be ready to part with Sh500. And if the argument is that they are not clean or wearable then the conductor will also be fined Sh500. If you do not have reflective or warning signs in your vehicles for emergencies then be ready to part with Sh2,000, and driving or operating a PSV with tinted windows will leave you Sh3,000 poorer. A commercial vehicle without the prescribed speed governor will attract a fine of Sh10,000; not having a fire extinguisher Sh2,000 and if found on phone while in motion Sh2,000.
Any matatu operator who drops or picks passengers at undesignated spots will be charged Sh3,000 and the passenger Sh1,000. Travelling with any part of your body hanging outside will also cost you Sh1,000.
But even as the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) plans to ensure not only road safety but also collect more revenue through these minor traffic offences, it does not stop the general integrity of officers being questioned. “We have made it clear to the officers that we will not entertain corruption. Any motorist who tries to bribe an officer, the said officer should make a report on a charge sheet,” said NTSA Director General Francis Meja. He added: “The best way to deal with corruption is to put in place systems that would make it difficult for the act to occur.” To avert graft, officers will be equipped with body cameras.
Source :Standard Media
