The government has temporarily halted the mandatory requirement for commercial and public service vehicle drivers to undergo a driving re-test prior to license renewal.
This comes after drivers across the country issued a nationwide strike notice following the announcement by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) that the mandatory retest would be conducted every three years before a driver renews their license.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen suspended the regulations, acknowledging the need for a multi-agency team to address the concerns raised by the drivers.
After holding a meeting with transport stakeholders on Tuesday, Murkomen said they had reached a consensus to establish a multi-agency committee to address the raised concerns and present a comprehensive report within 14 days.
“The Ministry and the stakeholders have agreed on the formation of a multi-agency committee that will among others review the grievances raised by the drivers and conductors. We have agreed as well that they shall submit the names of the officials representing ALL the industry players by 1st August 2023,” CS Murkomen.
He mentioned that retesting of drivers remains suspended until September 1, 2023.
“The exercise will take 14 days and the report with recommendations submitted for further decision-making. Taking note of the above, I hereby halt the retesting of drivers until 1st September 2023 to ive the multi-agency committee time to address the rising concerns.”
