NAIROBI

Kenya has retired paper motor vehicle logbooks and replaced them with a digital registration certificate, known as the eLogbook, and moved key vehicle services onto the government’s eCitizen platform.

The change allows motorists to register vehicles, transfer ownership and complete related transactions online as part of a broader government effort to digitize transport services, improve efficiency and reduce fraud.

National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) Director General Nashon Kondiwa said the new system brings services closer to wananchi while helping eliminate bureaucracy and cartels.

“We are not only bringing services closer to wananchi by enabling them to access their logbooks electronically, but we are also eliminating bureaucracy and cartels,” Kondiwa said.

The NTSA launched the eLogbook system on June 10, 2026, after taking its systems offline for about 16 hours to complete the migration. The authority said services resumed normally following what it described as a successful transition.

NTSA said the eLogbook replaces a paper-based registry that was prone to fraud, delays and errors with a real-time digital system that uses encryption and secure hashing to help prevent forgery.

Each eLogbook includes a dynamic QR code that buyers, banks and insurers can scan to verify a vehicle’s ownership and status. Police and inspection officers can also check the database in real time to confirm ownership, insurance validity, and stolen vehicle alerts.

Vehicle owners can access, download and manage their eLogbooks through their eCitizen accounts at no cost. NTSA said the system eliminates the KSh 2,600 fee that motorists previously paid to replace a lost physical logbook.

The system covers new vehicle registrations, ownership transfers, changes of particulars, asset financing registrations and other related transactions.

NTSA said the digital platform is expected to reduce processing times from an average of three to seven days, and in some cases weeks, to same-day or instant service.

Banks and Saccos can also verify ownership and lien status directly through the NTSA system.

The authority said the change will speed vehicle financing approvals and reduce the risk of vehicles being sold without lenders’ knowledge.

Motorists whose applications were submitted before June 10 received physical logbooks as originally planned, while applications submitted on or after that date receive eLogbooks. Physical logbooks issued before the transition remain valid as legal proof of ownership.

Ahead of the rollout, NTSA held public sensitization sessions from June 2 through June 4 for vehicle dealers, financial institutions, insurers, transport operators and members of the public.