In a startling revelation, the Auditor General Nancy Gathungu has exposed serious mismanagement and financial irregularities within the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA). The audit report, released on June 30, 2024, sheds light on the troubled implementation of Kenya’s smart card driving licence initiative.
Here are the key findings:
- Funds Discrepancy: The smart card driving licence project, initiated in 2017, aimed to roll out five million second-generation smart card-based driving licences. However, it has fallen drastically behind schedule. Out of the allocated Ksh2.03 billion, only 4,042,050 smart cards were delivered by the supplier. Shockingly, 2,562,874 cards remain unused in NTSA’s storage, valued at approximately Ksh788.85 million.
- Financial Mismanagement: Significant revenue losses occurred as a result of the NTSA management’s failure to enforce the proper use of these smart driving licenses. The underutilization of these smart cards devalues the Ksh1.2 billion that has already been spent, signifying a severe breach in financial management.
- Transport Integrated Management System (TIMS) Deficiencies: The Transport Integrated Management System (TIMS), which was created to integrate driver license, vehicle registration, and inspections, was also closely examined by the audit. Significant flaws were found in the system despite a Ksh186.48 million investment. Across all of NTSA’s regional offices, reliable revenue analysis is hampered by TIMS’s incomplete reporting capabilities. Important revenue information totaling Ksh1.04 billion was not able to be validated because of system constraints.
The NTSA’s operational effectiveness and financial accountability are seriously questioned by this audit report. We taxpayers are entitled to openness and efficient use of public funds. To win back the public’s confidence in the smart driving license project, the authorities need to act quickly to resolve these concerns.
