It is now official that a driver who is found guilty of drunk driving will face a two-year prison sentence or pay Sh100, 000 fine.
The action comes after President Uhuru Kenyatta approved the Traffic Amendment Bill, which simplifies traffic regulations.
Drivers who are found guilty of the offense face a fine or both. Before the Court of Appeal invalidated the ordinance that forbade the use of breathalyzers, drink-driving carried a Sh10, 000 fine and a one-month jail sentence.
Convicted drivers will have their licenses suspended for a minimum of one year as a precaution.
The amendments were included in the Traffic Amendment Bill, which sought to change traffic rules and regulations.
Drivers caught speeding on designated highways and roads will also be affected.
After a petitioner challenged the use of breathalyzers, a three-judge Bench of Justices GBM Kariuki, Fatuma Sichale, and Festus Azangalala directed Parliament to review the law.
The Alcoblow was banned due to ambiguities in traffic law, which have now been removed.
The law also defines drunk drivers and the penalties that will be imposed on them.
Other changes in the new law include giving the NTSA authority to inspect vehicles older than four years from the date of manufacture.
The authority will also determine the intervals and frequency with which it will inspect motor vehicles.
“Every vehicle that has been operated for a period of more than four years from the recorded date of manufacture shall be subjected to inspection at intervals to be determined by NTSA,” the Act states.
The proposed legislation also empowers the NTSA to hire private companies to conduct motor vehicle inspections on its behalf.
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