By Benadeta Mwaura - Reporter
Kenya, August 19, 2026 - The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has issued new safety directives for school transport operators ahead of the reopening of schools, requiring vehicles ferrying learners to meet inspection, licensing and road-safety requirements.
NTSA has urged school administrators to ensure that all vehicles used to transport learners are roadworthy, properly inspected and compliant with safety regulations before they return to the roads.
The authority said school transport vehicles must have valid inspection certificates, Road Service Licences (RSL) and insurance before carrying learners.
NTSA has also directed operators to ensure that speed governors fitted on school vehicles are functional and transmitting data to the authority's Intelligent Road Safety Management System (IRSMS).
The requirement means operators will need to check not only whether a speed governor is physically installed, but also whether the system is working and communicating the required information to NTSA.
Drivers and conductors operating school transport have also been reminded to have valid driving licences and Public Service Vehicle (PSV) badges.
The authority has urged operators to service their vehicles before schools reopen, paying particular attention to critical safety components including brakes, tyres, lights and side mirrors.
NTSA has further warned drivers against carrying excess passengers, directing them to ensure that every learner is properly seated and wearing a seat belt throughout the journey.
Children should also not be allowed to hang any part of their bodies outside moving vehicles, the authority said, warning that such behaviour exposes learners to serious injuries in the event of an accident.
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School transport operators have additionally been asked to report cases where a child is suspected to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The directives come as NTSA intensifies road-safety enforcement across the country, including checks targeting drink-driving, speeding, dangerous overtaking, mobile-phone use while driving, lane indiscipline and other forms of distracted or risky driving.
The authority has also increased alcoblow operations along major highways and at bus terminals as part of the wider enforcement campaign.
With schools preparing to reopen, NTSA's latest notice puts the responsibility on school administrators and transport providers to ensure that vehicles, drivers and conductors are compliant before learners are put back on the road.
For parents and guardians, the message is straightforward: before a school vehicle carries learners, its inspection, insurance, licensing, speed-governor system and driver and conductor credentials must all be in order.