MOMBASA, Kenya, Apr 3 — Kenya Driving Schools Associations (KDSA) has asked the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), to open the online portal for users to access it and address their queries.
Services that have been halted by NTSA are; licensing of driving schools, renewal of driving school licenses, licensing of driving school instructors and renewal of driving school instructors’ licenses.
Others are; provisional driving license (PDL) application for driver trainees, test taking for driving school instructors and driver trainees.
The suspension was necessitated by a High Court ruling ordering the regularization of the traffic rules by both the National Assembly and the Senate.
The High Court in petition No. E251 of 2020 issued an Order which required that the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, Urban Development and Public Works submit the traffic rules, 2020 to the National Assembly for consideration.
The decision comes after a case filed by KDSA against NTSA concerning the rules saying that there was no public participation.
Concerns have now risen from KDSA officials following the disabling of the NTSA online portal which hinders most users from accessing driving services.
KDSA vice chairman John Magara said that their students are stranded as the system cannot enable us to access tests.
Magara said huge losses are incurred at the same time the system enables young men to access driving licenses that help them get jobs.
“NTSA have been very deviant even after being asked by the parliamentary select Committee to open up the portal. We take this matter as a payback since we took them to court to challenge the new rules,” said Magara.
He added that those boda boda operators who have not gone for driving courses cannot do so now as the PDL license system is also affected.
“We have written to Parliament informing them that the decision made to have NTSA open the portal has not been honored and we are waiting for the way forward,” he said.
Magara noted that more than 700 registered driving schools countrywide are affected as it’s been three months since the portal was disabled.
Fredrick Masumbuko, a student at one driving school in Mombasa, who is a truck driver, said that he is now stranded as his driving license has not been stumped yet he cleared everything that was required.
“It’s been two months now and I haven’t done the exams, police won’t hear any excuse even if you have booked for the exams,” said Masumbuko.
He said that he took a loan to finance the whole business but without the approved driving license, he cannot get any job, thus unable to pay back the loan.
