Private vehicle owners have received temporary relief after the High Court in Kiambu suspended the implementation and enforcement of the government's mandatory annual inspection requirement for private non-commercial vehicles.
In conservatory orders issued on Wednesday, July 1 and obtained by Vantage Ke, Justice Francis Nyungu Kyambia halted the enforcement of key provisions of the Traffic (Motor Vehicle Inspection) Rules, 2026, pending the hearing and determination of a petition challenging the new regulations.
The case, filed by Wilberforce Akello against the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport, Davus Chirchir, and other respondents, argues against the implementation of the new inspection regime introduced through Legal Notice No. 13 of 2026.
The court specifically suspended the operation of Rules 3(1), 12(2), 16(4), 30(1)(d), and the First Schedule of the Traffic (Motor Vehicle Inspection) Rules, 2026, to the extent that they apply to private non-commercial vehicles.
"THAT a conservatory order be and is hereby issued suspending the operation and enforcement of Rules 3(1), Rule 12(2), Rule 16(4), Rule 30(1)(d) and the First Schedule of the Traffic (Motor Vehicle Inspection) Rules, 2026 (Legal Notice No. 13 of 2026) in so far and to the extent that it applies to private non-commercial vehicles," the orders stated in part.
Justice Kyambia also issued a separate conservatory order suspending NTSA's notice published on June 26, 2026, which required annual inspections for privately owned, non-commercial vehicles.
"The Notice of Motion dated 29/06/2026 is certified urgent," the judge ruled before granting the conservatory orders halting the implementation of the contested regulations.
The petitioner has been directed to serve the respondents with the petition, application and court orders within seven days, while NTSA and the other respondents have been given 14 days after service to file their responses and submissions.
The application is scheduled for an inter partes hearing on July 22, 2026, when both sides will present their arguments before the court.
According to the order, the conservatory orders suspending the annual inspection requirement will remain in force until further directions by the court, effectively putting the government's plan on hold for private non-commercial motorists.
The ruling marks a significant setback for the government's push to introduce mandatory annual inspections for private vehicles, a policy that had sparked widespread public debate over its cost, necessity and impact on motorists.
If upheld, the petition could determine whether NTSA can lawfully enforce annual inspections on millions of privately owned vehicles across the country.
The NTSA announced on Tuesday that it would begin full enforcement of the roadworthiness policy in June 2027.
According to the Authority, the transition period will allow it to establish 70 vehicle inspection centres in collaboration with the private sector.
Currently, the country has 17 inspection centres, all of which are owned and managed by NTSA.
