How Uhuru plans to collect over Sh3 billion annually from motorists, traffic offenders

The government expects to collect fines worth more than Sh3 billion per year from a Sh30 billion ITS project involving installation of cameras and improving the road junctions’ geometry and implementation of Bus Rapid Transit Line Five.

In the plan, the cameras are to automatically detect and record motorists’ behaviour on the road, capture the car and driver’s picture, offence committed, place and time of committing the offence, including the car registration number.

This information is then relayed to two command centres to be stationed at the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (Kura) and Mombasa Road. The centres will be used to send messages to the offenders’ mobile phones registered on the Transport Integrated Management System (TIMS).

The Smart Card Driver Licence will assist with the alignment between vehicle registration, driver’s licence and traffic violations.

A team of police, traffic engineers, system specialists and county traffic controllers would be housed at the centres to monitor surveillance cameras 24 hours a day.

In the proposed fines, Public Service Vehicle (PSV) drivers who have a habit of driving on or through pavements or pedestrian walkways should be prepared to pay Sh5,000, those reversing in areas they are not supposed to (Sh3,000), failure to stop when the traffic light turns red (Sh3,000) and speed violation (between Sh500 and Sh10,000).

Other offences include yellow line occupation, parking violation, wrong lane change and illegal turn.Pedestrians walking in or crossing a roadway that has traffic other than at suitable crossing point, or otherwise disregard traffic rules should also be prepared to pay fines.

The revenue collected is expected to be used in operating and maintaining the gadgets.