By OLIVER MUSEMBI
The Road Safety Association of Kenya has urged motorists not to pay the instant fines being imposed by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) for speeding, arguing that the penalties violate an existing High Court order.
Association chairman David Kiarie said the fines contravene conservatory orders issued by the Kerugoya High Court on May 29, 2026, suspending the implementation of NTSA’s instant fines system through a private company. He maintained that the fines are therefore illegal.
Kiarie said the association would file contempt of court proceedings against NTSA, seek the removal of speed cameras installed on roads under the disputed system, and demand refunds for motorists who have already paid the fines.
He urged motorists who have received speeding tickets or paid the penalties since June 1 to forward the details to the association as evidence for the planned court case.
“If there is anyone who received a ticket to pay the fine from June 1 this year, or even those who have already paid, we are asking them to forward the details to us so that we can use them as evidence in court,” Kiarie said.
Under the recently introduced instant fines system, NTSA charges motorists a minimum of Sh10,000 for exceeding speed limits in designated areas, with higher penalties depending on the speed recorded by the cameras.
Justice Dennis Kizito Magare of the Kerugoya High Court suspended the implementation of the public-private partnership between NTSA and the Pesa Print Limited consortium covering the design, supply, delivery, installation and maintenance of smart driving licences.
The court also suspended NTSA’s automated instant fines system and related services pending the hearing and determination of a petition filed by the Road Safety Association of Kenya.
Kiarie and the association’s Secretary General, John Mutisya, also questioned the manner in which speed cameras were installed on major highways, arguing that some of the locations compromise rather than enhance road safety.
Citing the Thika Superhighway, Nairobi Expressway and the Southern Bypass among other roads, the officials claimed the cameras had effectively become traps for imposing excessive fines on motorists.
They also argued that requiring motorists to abruptly reduce speed from 100km/h to 50km/h on highways poses safety risks and could increase the likelihood of accidents.
“For instance, every motorist knows that the maximum speed on Thika Superhighway is 110 kilometres per hour, then you find you have to suddenly reduce that to 50. This will most likely cause accidents,” Kiarie said.
Mutisya said speed cameras should be used strictly to improve road safety rather than to penalise motorists unfairly.
“The speed limits should target areas near schools, churches and other sensitive locations, and there should be clearly marked road signs alerting motorists. It is wrong to use cameras as traps to punish Kenyans driving along highways,” he said.
In his ruling, Justice Magare directed NTSA to file its submissions within 10 days ahead of an inter partes hearing, whose date is yet to be set.
The Road Safety Association is the petitioner in the case, while NTSA is the respondent and Pesa Print Limited is listed as an interested party.
The conservatory orders were issued three days before NTSA rolled out the instant fines system on June 1, 2026.
Kiarie said the association had initially supported the introduction of instant fines as a road safety measure intended to reduce road crashes.
“However, we later realised that this was a business venture by some individuals out to make money using public institutions and assets,” he claimed.
