Car dealers have been reprieved of the ban on importation of cars aged eight years. After a long debate between the car dealers and the government, a sound decision was reached.
On the car age limit importation, the government had proposed a reduction on the age limit from eight to five to zero years by 2022. But the car dealers have been fighting strong since January saying the ban will affect their businesses as most Kenyans drive second hand.
Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has upheld the ban limit for cars that are eight years of age. The technical committee responsible for the decision will pass it to the National Standard Council, whom upon they see the decision fit, it will be moved to the Ministry and make the decision standard. If the national standard council does not approve, the decision will go back to the drawing board for the Technical Committee. The KEBS Technical committee had invited stakeholders to give their views on the matter.
The contention between the government and car dealers that the was the cars being imported were not meeting the required standards. According to the shareholders they only bring in euro five and euro four to the Kenyan market which have minimum with minimum environmental pollution.
Cabinet Secretary for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Peter Munya, appearing before the National Parliamentary Committee upheld the decision agreed on the importation of cars that are eight years of age, which if it was to be upheld to the latter could be kicking off the beginning of July.
Kenya does not have the manufacturing capacity to meet the demand, necessitating the need to lift the ban on the importation of cars eight years of age. If this standard is upheld, it will be reviewed after five years, and stakeholders will continue importing the cars to meet the demand.
