The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has invited public and motor vehicle sector stakeholders to provide feedback on the Draft Code of Practice for the Inspection of Road Vehicles.
Through a newspaper notice on Tuesday, May 13, KEBS disclosed that various public participation forums concerning the upcoming policy will be held countrywide and will end on June 3.
“The Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) Technical Committee KEBS/TC 122 on Road Vehicles is developing a standard Code of Practice for the Inspection of Road Vehicles,” KEBS stated.
“Pursuant to the Statutory Instruments Act, 2013, KEBS is hereby pleased to invite you to a stakeholders’ workshop to provide comments and input on the draft standard DKS 1515:2025 Road Vehicles: Inspection of Road Vehicles-Code of Practice,” it further noted.
The Draft Kenya Standard specifies general, safety, technical and environmental requirements for road vehicles and includes inspection schedules for road vehicles. It applies to all categories of vehicles.
It spells out regulations for general requirements, inspection before importation and registration, general inspection, inspection centre equipment and personnel, vehicle type drive, and radio frequency.
The policy also outlines safety requirements, environmental and technical requirements, regulations on new vehicles and vehicles already in use, inspection, tests and test equipment, marking, packaging and application for inspection and vehicle inspection test report.
The public participation exercise will encompass motor vehicle importers and exporters, manufacturers and assemblers, regulatory bodies, government institutions, non-governmental organisations, industry players and associations.
Other stakeholders that will be involved include consumer organisations, media agencies, research institutions, standardisation experts and professionals, motor vehicle users, and interested members of the public.
It will replace the old Code of Practice of 2019, with KEBS urging interested persons to present their comments through a comment template available on their website and send them to a dedicated email by June 3 of this year.
Key aspects of the new policy are seen in the age limit, where the Draft dictates that all passenger vehicles which are more than eight years old from the year of first registration shall not be allowed for importation. This is the current regulation on vehicle importation.
In terms of vehicle drive type, only right-hand vehicles shall be allowed in the country, as has been the norm.
Heavy-duty trucks, buses, and light-duty vehicles, including passenger cars, taxis and motorised tricycles, are to be inspected every 12 months from the initial inspection.
