mburu jeff 
- NTSA suspends Super Metro Limited operations amidst serious safety violations;
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has suspended the operating license of Super Metro Limited, a prominent public service vehicle (PSV) company.
According to the NTSA, this action follows a comprehensive analysis of the company’s operations, which revealed a series of alarming breaches of traffic regulations and safety standards.
The NTSA audit found that there was massive non-compliance, and passengers and other road users were at risk.
For example, the NTSA said that a good number of Super Metro’s fleet was running with expired inspection certificates and road service licenses, meaning that most of them had not been certified to be in good road condition.
“On compliance with the Traffic Act and the NTSA (Operation of Passenger Service Vehicles) 2014, out of five hundred and twenty-three (523) vehicles, a total of fifteen (15) vehicles had expired inspection certificates, and eight (8) vehicles had expired Road Service Licences (RSL),” NTSA noted in a statement.
This problem was further exacerbated by the fact that many vehicles had critical failures with their speed limiter devices, and some were not sending speed data, while others overshot the limits set.
“On compliance with KS 2295-2023 (Maximum road speed limiters for motor vehicles Part 1:Performance and installation requirements), it was noted that a total of five (5) vehicles had expired speed limiter certificates, eighty-eight (88) vehicles were not transmitting speed data, one hundred and seventy-one (171) vehicles had no speed limiter records, seven (7) vehicles had no speed limiter vendor details while one hundred and nine (109) vehicles were operating beyond the speed limit of 80Kph,” read part of the statement.
Of particular concern, NTSA also found extreme shortfalls in the company’s drivers’ qualifications.
It was established that a large number of drivers allocated to the company’s system were not suitably qualified, and this presented a significant threat to road safety.
“On compliance with The Traffic (Driving Schools, Driving Instructors and Driving Licences) Rules, 2020, it was established that the driving credentials of the drivers assigned to the Company’s portal do not meet the required qualifications which present a major road safety risk,” NTSA said.
The company was also found to be contravening labor laws and regulations by not issuing satisfactory employment contracts and statutory deductions to its employees.
“The Company was also in violation of the provisions of the NTSA (Operation of Public Service Vehicles) Regulations 2014, Section 5, sub-section 1€ which states:
A person desirous of operating public service vehicles shall be a member of a body corporate which shall comply with labour laws and regulations including in respect to statutory deductions, health and safety of the workplace, Work Injuries Benefits Act (Cap. 236) insurance, statutory leave days and written contracts of employment for staff,” NTSA noted.
To regain its operating license, Super Metro Limited must now address a stringent conditions’ list.
The conditions include; repairing and inspecting hundreds of vehicles effective immediately, retesting dozens of drivers, and the dismissal of unqualified personnel.
“The Company must present the two hundred and ninety-four (294) vehicles with various violations to the respective speed limiter vendors for compliance check.
The Company also must present two hundred and ninety-four (294) vehicles with violations for compliance inspection at Likoni Motor Vehicle Inspection Centre and obtain compliance reports for all the vehicles,” NTSA said adding that,
“The Company must present forty-two (42) drivers, out of the one hundred and nine (109) drivers with speed violations, for a retest at the Likoni Driver Test Centre.
We note that 64 of the Company’s drivers failed a retest on 10th March 2025 and this led to the suspension of their respective driving licences.
The Company must immediately disengage unqualified drivers for the safety of all road users.”
The company is also anticipated to provide evidence of adherence to labor laws and conduct mandatory road safety sensitization for all its drivers.
“The Company must present signed contracts for their drivers and other staff including proof of compliance with Section 5(1)€, six months record of staff payroll, PAYE, NSSF and SHA remittances.
The Company must conduct Road Safety Sensitization for ALL its drivers and submit to the Authority the sensitization report, photos, minutes of the session and the attendance register. The exercise shall be facilitated by NTSA officers. The Authority shall conduct a Compliance Audit on the Company,” NTSA said.
The NTSA has strongly warned the public against boarding any Super Metro vehicles until the company can prove it is fully compliant.
Traffic enforcement has been directed to seize any Super Metro vehicles operating in contravention of the suspension.
This swift move indicates the Authority’s dedication to making Kenya’s roads safe.
