The High Court in Kiambu has suspended the implementation of the government’s directive requiring private non-commercial vehicles older than four years to undergo mandatory annual inspection.
Justice Francis Nyungu Kyambia issued the conservatory orders on Wednesday after certifying as urgent a constitutional petition filed by Wilberforce Akello against the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport, and other respondents.
The court temporarily stopped the enforcement of specific provisions of the Traffic (Motor Vehicle Inspection) Rules, 2026 (Legal Notice No. 13 of 2026), to the extent that they apply to privately owned, non-commercial vehicles.
Justice Kyambia also suspended NTSA’s notice published on June 26, 2026, which required owners of private vehicles to subject their vehicles to annual inspections before they could be used on Kenyan roads.
The conservatory orders mean that the inspection requirement will not take effect until the court hears and determines the application.
The petitioner has been directed to serve the respondents with the petition, application and court orders within seven days, after which the respondents will have 14 days to file their responses and written submissions.
The matter has been fixed for an inter partes hearing on July 22, 2026, when the court will consider arguments from all parties before determining the way forward.
The petition challenges the legality and constitutionality of the new inspection regime, with the petitioner questioning the validity of the regulations governing mandatory annual inspections for private vehicles.
The ruling came just hours before the new rules were set to come into force, temporarily shielding thousands of owners of private vehicles from complying with the inspection requirement as the constitutional challenge proceeds before the High Court.
