Drivers Unable to Renew Licences as eCitizen Payments Keep Failing in Kenya

Motorists across Kenya are unable to complete driving licence renewals after a weeks-long breakdown on the eCitizen platform left payments unprocessed and applications stuck, exposing a wider licence renewal problem affecting drivers across the country.

The issue affects services overseen by the National Transport and Safety Authority, where transactions rely on integration with M-Pesa. Drivers say the process runs smoothly until the final step, where payment requests fail to trigger, leaving renewals incomplete.

Applications stall at the payment stage

Users report generating payment codes but receiving no M-Pesa prompt, effectively freezing the transaction. The result is a backlog of pending applications, with no confirmation or timeline for resolution.

Some motorists say they have been attempting renewals since 20 March without success. Others have continued driving despite expired licences, unable to complete the process through official channels.

Drivers caught between system failure and enforcement

Transport operators say the disruption has spilled onto the roads. Police enforcement has continued, with reports of drivers being stopped or detained for expired licences even as the renewal system remains inaccessible.

In response, some drivers have turned to physical visits at NTSA offices to obtain temporary letters confirming their applications are in progress, reintroducing manual steps into a system built to be fully digital.

Split responsibility complicates response

Officials at NTSA attribute the disruption to delays in communication between eCitizen and M-Pesa systems, where payment confirmations are not syncing in real time. The agency maintains it does not manage the payment layer directly.

That separation has left motorists navigating a system where no single institution appears to control the full process from application to payment confirmation.

Repeated outages raise reliability questions

The current disruption is at least the 4th affecting NTSA services since January 2026. In some cases, motorists who completed payments earlier in the year are still waiting for updated licences months later.

A similar outage in May 2025 halted services nationwide, adding to concerns about the stability of digital public service delivery.

Upgrade plan in the pipeline

The government has announced a Sh42 billion overhaul of the driver licensing system, in partnership with KCB Bank Kenya and Pesa Print Limited. The 21-year project includes new smart licences and integrated enforcement systems, financed through private capital in its early phases.

For now, motorists remain unable to complete renewals, with the process breaking at the point where payment should happen.

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