National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) Director General Hon. George Njao (pictured above) has been thrust into the spotlight following confirmed reports that Kenyans lost at least Ksh 1.2bn in the Smart Driving License project recently launched by President William Ruto after assuming office in 2022.
According to reports media reports on July 2, NTSA’s management, led by George Njao, failed to enforce the use of these smart driving licenses effectively, resulting in substantial financial losses.
Out of the allocated Ksh 2.03 billion, only 4,042,050 smart cards were delivered by the supplier, with a significant portion—2,562,874 cards—remaining unused in NTSA’s storage, valued at approximately Ksh 788.85 million.
Auditor General Nancy Gathungu during a past parliamentary committee event
“The failure to utilize these smart cards represents a serious lapse in financial management,” stated Gathungu, emphasizing the project’s inability to achieve value for the Ksh 1.2 billion already expended.
In addition to the smart card debacle, the audit scrutinized NTSA’s implementation of the Transport Integrated Management System (TIMS), designed to centralize vehicle registrations, inspections, and driver licensing.
This development comes just days after President William Ruto, during a roundtable interview with a media station, downplayed claims and reports that corruption and embezzlement of resources had rocked his government.
During the interview, the Head of State, in what appeared as washing his hands and remaining innocent, said that he doesn’t have the authority to investigate and punish those misusing public resources, adding that all government and state institutions such as the DCI, EACC, and police have been equipped enough to fight corruption.
By the time of going to press, nobody from the National Transport and Safety Authority had issued a statement to respond to the development, including George Njao, the DG. It remains to be seen how the State will respond to the new development, given that the Head of State said he won’t entertain any form of corruption.
