Cars at the port of Mombasa. [Photo/businessdaily.co.ke]Car Importers Association of Kenya (CIAK) through its Chairman Peter Otieno has blamed The National Transport Safety Authority (NTSA) for its inefficiency that is costing the importers sh3000 per day at the Port of Mombasa.

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The NTSA through its Director General Francis Meja had earlier said that there was a shortage of number plates from its supplier and that is why the vehicles are still held up at the port causing them to be charged Sh3000 per day for delayed clearance.

“There is a small shortage because of less supply from the Kamiti Maximum Prison,” Meja said.

However, Otieno said that the amount they were being charged is unfair because they had already paid their import duties and they were being ‘overburdened ’ by NTSA’s laxity at work.

“The Container Freight Stations (CFS) charge an average of Sh.3000 per vehicle per day, an expense the importer should not incur because they have paid the import duty and port charges. This means that car owners are being overburdened by NTSA’s inefficiency,” Otieno said.

Otieno added that over 6000 vehicles have not been fitted with number plates and as such they are still lying at the CFS.

“We did the registration for the (KC) D series in December before Christmas and so far registration has been done up to the (KC) K series. Given that each series has 999 vehicles, this means that 6493 units don’t have plates,” he added.