Inside NTSA's move to take instant traffic fine payments off eCitizen
Explainers
By
Esther Nyambura
| Jul 01, 2026
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has shifted the payment process for instant traffic fines from the eCitizen platform to bank deposits to curb rising fraud targeting motorists.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, July 1, the authority said that while eCitizen remains secure and continues to serve as the official platform for other government services, instant traffic fines will no longer be processed through it.
Instead, motorists cited for traffic offences will now be required to make payments through Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) branches or authorized KCB agents.
NTSA says the issue is not with the eCitizen platform itself, but with the process that prompts motorists to make payments. According to the authority, fraudsters have exploited text-message notifications sent to motorists, creating fake payment links that direct victims to fraudulent platforms.
To address the problem, NTSA says the new system introduces an additional verification step by requiring payments to be completed physically at banks.
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“Requiring in-person bank payments adds a critical verification layer to the payment process,” the authority said.
To help motorists distinguish genuine notifications from fraudulent ones, NTSA says authentic instant fine alerts will only be sent through its official shortcode, 22847_NTSA. Legitimate messages will include details of the offence, the prescribed penalty and payment instructions.
How the bank payment process will work
According to NTSA Director General Kondiwa, motorists who commit traffic offences will receive an SMS containing a link directing them to details of their offence and the applicable fine. The information will also include a reference number that will be used during payment.
Unlike fraudulent messages that direct motorists straight to payment channels, Kondiwa says NTSA's links will only provide offence details rather than payment options.
Motorists will then be required to present the reference number at a KCB branch or authorised agent, where a teller will verify the information in the bank system before guiding them through the payment process.
“We are just adding another layer of check. You will go there with your reference; you will find the reference reflected in the bank system,” said Kondiwa.
“The difference from our other services is that the information that triggers you to pay is an SMS that is totally away from the system, and you have to click to see the details, then we have the third eye, which is the teller, with the details of the fine, who will now prompt you to pay.”
The changes, however, have raised questions over how banks will access and verify motorists’ offence information, with details of the integration between traffic enforcement systems and banking systems yet to be fully explained.
The move has also attracted scrutiny because most government payments continue to be processed through eCitizen, a platform introduced to enhance transparency and accountability in public finance management.
While concerns remain over how transparency will be maintained under the new arrangement, NTSA insists the separate payment channel is necessary to shield motorists from SMS-based fraud.