Kenya: High Court Orders NTSA to Keep Recognising Physical Logbooks Amid e-Logbook Case

What the report says

A Kenyan High Court has ordered the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) to keep recognising existing physical motor vehicle logbooks while a petition over the country’s electronic motor vehicle registration certificate, or e-Logbook, is heard and decided. The interim order was issued by Justice Patricia Nyaundi Mande in Nairobi in a case brought by Javan Onyango and Emmanuel Kiplagat.

According to the report from Capital FM, the petitioners want the court to suspend implementation of the e-Logbook system, block NTSA from adding new charges tied to the digital process, and prevent the authority from invalidating paper certificates already held by motorists. The ruling gives vehicle owners temporary relief by preserving the legal status of physical logbooks, but it does not stop the broader e-Logbook programme.

NTSA opposed the application, saying the electronic register is an administrative upgrade of a system that has existed since 2014 under the Transport Integrated Management System. The authority also said physical logbooks remain valid and that there has been no mandatory deadline for conversion. It defended the digital platform as a way to improve ownership verification and reduce fraud.

The court said the wider constitutional and administrative questions around public participation, data protection, cybersecurity, digital access and the legality of the rollout will be examined at a full hearing. For now, the order preserves the status quo for motorists who still rely on paper logbooks while the case proceeds.