The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has impounded 13 vehicles along Nairobi’s Southern Bypass during an overnight safety compliance operation targeting traffic violations and unsafe vehicles.
NTSA said an inter-agency team detained the vehicles after identifying multiple safety breaches involving drivers and their vehicles.
According to NTSA, the violations included driving under the influence of alcohol, operating with expired driving licences, expired vehicle inspection stickers and driving without valid insurance.
Other offences involved vehicles operating in contravention of their insurance terms, broken headlights and cracked windscreens.
The operation is part of NTSA’s Msimu Bila Ajali, Usalama Barabarani campaign, which the authority launched in collaboration with law enforcement agencies to disrupt risky road behaviour and prevent road traffic deaths.
The campaign involves sensitising drivers and passengers, as well as conducting daytime and overnight safety checks along major transport corridors.
NTSA said night-time enforcement had been prioritised because evening and late-night hours are high-risk periods for road crashes, requiring additional resources to identify and address dangerous driving practices.
“Both day and night safety checks are governed by strict operational protocols designed to protect motorists, manage traffic flow, and ensure officer safety,” the authority said.
The compliance checks also cover speeding, the functionality of vehicle speed limiters and their continuous transmission of data to the Intelligent Road Safety Management System (IRSMS).
For public service vehicles, inspectors verify passenger manifests, driver logs, route compliance, Road Service Licences and the validity of inspection stickers and drivers’ licences.
The authority also checks compliance with authorised passenger capacities and permitted load limits, while reminding passengers to wear seatbelts throughout their journeys.
NTSA urged motorists approaching designated checkpoints to slow down and cooperate with law enforcement officers, noting that safety protocols are in place to protect motorists and officers and manage traffic flow.
The authority advised motorists travelling at night to reduce their speed, maintain safe following distances and remain alert because darkness reduces visibility.
The latest operation comes amid the authority’s broader efforts to strengthen road safety enforcement through targeted inspections and public awareness campaigns.
NTSA also warned motorists that official speed violation notifications are sent exclusively through the SMS sender ID NTSA, urging them to report suspicious messages from numbers claiming to represent the authority.
