NTSA Explains Why Wrecked and Scrapped Cars Remain on Government Registry

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has clarified that vehicles written off in major crashes or permanently dismantled for scrap metal remain active in official government records unless their owners initiate a formal deregistration process.

The clarification was issued following public inquiries questioning why wrecked automobiles are not automatically purged from national databases after severe accidents. Responding to these concerns, the authority emphasized that removing a non-operational vehicle from the registry relies entirely on action taken by the owner.

The discussion highlights longstanding data integrity challenges within Kenya’s vehicle registry, which contains upwards of six million records. In June 2026, NTSA Director General Nashon Kondiwa admitted that the agency lacks an exact count of vehicles actively operating on public roads, noting that many cars simply deteriorate or are broken down into scrap metal without official notification.

Security experts and regulators have warned that these lingering database gaps present major enforcement risks. Criminal syndicates can exploit unpurged records by taking number plates from abandoned or wrecked vehicles and mounting them onto smuggled or illegally imported cars from neighboring countries.

To tighten record security, combat fraud, and streamline data verification for insurance and traffic policing, the NTSA recently introduced an electronic Logbook system on June 10.