The government has moved to ban the importation of cars that are more than eight years from the date of manufacture.
According to Works and Transport Minister Monica Azuba, the Traffic and Road Safety Act 1998 Cap. 316 will be amended to also initiate an ‘environmental levy’, effective July 1.
However, according to the Minister, five categories of trucks and vehicles including those which will arrive in the country by September 30, are exempt.
Others exempt include among others road tractors for semitrailers; motor vehicles for the transport of goods with a gross vehicle weight of at least six tonnes; special purpose motor vehicles including breakdowns, lorries, crane lorries, fire fighting vehicles, concrete mixer, lorries, road sweeper lorries and spraying lorries. Others are mobile workshops, forklifts, mobile drilling rigs, mobile radiological units, works trucks, tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, cesspool emptiers, water bowsers and bullion vans.
Agricultural or forestry tractors, earth moving motor vehicles, tamping machines and road rollers are also exempt, the Minister noted.
Among those to face levies are Sedan cars, saloon cars at Shillings 1,500,000; Passenger vehicles including light omnibuses with a seating capacity not exceeding 28 passengers at Shs 1,500,000; Estate and station wagon vehicles with an engine capacity of 3500 cc or above at Shs1,700,000 and, Medium omnibuses and heavy omnibuses with a seating capacity of more than 28 passengers Shs1,500,000.
‘The object of this Bill is to amend the Traffic and Road Safety Act, Cap. 316 to vary the motor vehicle registration fees provided for in the Finance Act, 2013; to vary the environmental levy on motor vehicles provided for in the Finance Act, 2006; and to ban the importation of motor vehicles that are eight years old or more from the date of manufacture,’ Minister Azuba wrote on March 29.
