CS Murkomen wants to raise number plate  charges 

CS Murkomen wants to raise number plate charges 

CS Murkomen wants to raise number plate charges

On Monday, Kipchumba Murkomen, the Transport Cabinet Secretary, revealed  plans to increase the cost of obtaining number plates. In an interview with Trevor Ombija of Citizen TV, Murkomen explained that the  increase was necessary to help the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA)  fulfill its duty, as well as to reflect the increased cost of the metal plate.

The CS claims that Kenyans who want to get new license plates might have to spend more than Ksh10,000 instead of the existing Ksh3,000. “I don’t think that is too much for it if I bought a car for one million and I’m told only Ksh10,000 for the number plate,” the CS said.

“The metal plate is now more expensive. You can’t keep charging 1,000 that was maybe charged ten years ago,” he continued, revealing that he had officially submitted his plan to Parliament but that public input had not yet been received. At the moment, new license plates cost Ksh3,050 for cars and Ksh1,550 for motorcycles, according to the NTSA.

Why Increase Number Plate Charges?

The CS and Ombija were debating on the charges of vehicle maintenance, with the latter stating that motorists can spend up to Ksh80,000 to change the colour of a car. 

In the analogy, Murkomen added that a motorist who considers changing the paint colour and spending money on what he argued was a luxury can afford to pay for hiked number plate charges.

“By the time somebody has the luxury to change the colour of a vehicle, that person has the resources,” Murkomen claimed, adding that motorists pay for number plates once. 

Murkomen disagreed, arguing that better service delivery was required, while  Ombija countered that a driver may also be charged when changing ownership  of the car. “Ownership transfer… same. Like a transfer, it is. In Nairobi, you would have to pay 4 percent stamp duty if you were to purchase  land today. In a similar vein, I fail to see why it would be challenging for someone who was  able to transfer ownership of a car to cover the transfer price.

“The purpose of all of these measures is to ensure that the NTSA’s services, which  include safety, registration, and support for the technology we use to ensure  timely car searches for individuals, are delivered.” Resources are needed for each of these services. We do not want the NTSA to return to the Treasury and tax Kenyans in general  (including mama mboga) and motorists in particular for a service that only a  small percentage of the population uses.” Murkomen went on to say that NTSA fees needed to be adjusted in light of various  conditions because they couldn’t stay the same for ten years.