The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has unveiled fresh details regarding the rollout of a new generation of digital driving licences to be produced under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement.
In a public notice released on Tuesday, February 24, the authority announced that the upcoming smart driving licences mark a significant shift in Kenya’s transport sector reforms. According to NTSA, the upgraded cards form part of a broader digital transformation strategy designed to enhance road safety, seal loopholes exploited by fraudsters, and modernise driver records management.
The second-generation licences will replace the traditional manual cards with advanced smart cards embedded with electronic data. These cards will securely store motorists’ details and integrate with a centralized digital platform managed by the authority. The system is expected to strengthen monitoring of driver compliance and streamline the tracking of traffic violations across the country.
Officials say the integration of driver information into a central database will improve coordination with traffic enforcement agencies, making it easier to verify licence authenticity in real time. The move is also projected to curb cases of forged licences and identity manipulation that have previously undermined road safety efforts.
Through the PPP model, NTSA aims to leverage private sector expertise and technology to ensure efficient production, distribution, and management of the new smart licences as Kenya accelerates its shift toward digitised public services.