Do you have a newly bought motorbike? Did you apply for a number plate? Well, then you will have to wait for quite some time! At least 52,000 motorcycles have not received number plates, posing a security nightmare and loss of income for those in the boda boda business.
According to Sunday Nation, the Kenya Prisons Service, that produces the number plates, has run out of material to make them.
Motorcycle Assemblers Association of Kenya (MAAK) has raised an alarm, decrying that their pleas have gone unheard from the government.
“We have had endless meetings with the National Transport and Safety Authority and the Office of the Principal Secretary for Correctional Services (Zeynab Hussein). This has always resulted in promises to sort out the mess but none of the timelines have been met. Currently, the process of allocation of number plates is at a standstill and no motorcycles have been issued with the plates since January 29,” said Dr Isaac Kalua, chairperson of the association.
The association said that they have been facing problems since October last year when only a small proportion of applicants received number plates.
Recently, the government stopped issuing even the allocation slips forcing some of the assemblies and their dealers across the country to close down affecting thousands of jobs.
Number plates for both cars and motorcycles are produced by Kenya Prisons Service.
The government has also been unable to introduce to the new generation number plates in what is viewed as internal wrangles at prisons department. The department is under Ms Hussein who reports to Interior Security Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiangi.
Ministry sources said the whole mess stems from an order by the PS to audit all tenders in the prisons department thereby paralysing the entire prisons system.