Kenya's eLogbook Is Here: How to Transfer Car Ownership in 2026
Kenya's eLogbook Is Here: How to Transfer Car Ownership in 2026
If you bought or sold a vehicle in Kenya recently, the paperwork you were expecting no longer exists. NTSA switched off physical logbooks in June 2026. There is no booklet to collect, no stamping queue, and no courier waiting to deliver a green document to your office.
That is genuinely good news — but only if you understand the new process. Most transfer problems we see at the yard aren't caused by the system. They're caused by people running a 2023 playbook on a 2026 platform.
Here's what actually happens now.
What changed
The logbook is now a digital record that lives in your eCitizen account. When a transfer completes, the vehicle simply appears under your profile. You can pull it up on your phone, share a verification link with an insurer, or show it at a checkpoint.
The practical implications matter more than the technology:
You can't "hold the logbook" as leverage anymore. Sellers used to keep the physical booklet until final payment cleared. That lever is gone. Payment terms now need to be agreed in writing, up front.
Forged logbooks are effectively dead. The old scam of a convincing photocopy and a rushed handshake doesn't survive a digital record that either exists in the system or doesn't.
Both parties must have active eCitizen accounts. No account, no transfer. This trips up sellers who are upcountry or elderly and have never registered.
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The process, step by step
The transfer is a two-party handshake. One side initiates, the other confirms. Neither can complete it alone — which is the point.
The seller starts it.
Log into eCitizen and open the NTSA TIMS service.
Go to Vehicle Registration and select transfer of ownership.
Enter the registration number and pull up the vehicle.
Enter the buyer's National ID or company KRA PIN.
Upload a clear scan of the existing logbook and the signed sale agreement.
Confirm with the OTP sent to the registered phone number and submit.
The buyer confirms it.
Log into their own eCitizen account and check notifications.
Open the pending transfer request.
Verify every detail against the physical car — registration number, chassis number, engine number. Not the advert. Not the seller's word. The metal.
Accept, then pay the fee via M-Pesa or card.
NTSA processes the transfer and the eLogbook lands in the buyer's account within a few working days.
What it costs
Transfer fees are calculated on engine capacity, so a 1000cc hatchback and a 2700cc SUV pay very different amounts. Fees start in the region of KES 2,200 for the smallest engines and climb from there, with a mandatory e-sticker charge of around KES 750 applied to every transfer.
Budget a little extra for eCitizen convenience fees and M-Pesa charges. The portal calculates the exact figure at submission — don't rely on a number a friend quoted you last year, because the fee structure has moved.
Complete the transfer promptly after the sale. Kenyan law sets a deadline and late penalties accrue; TIMS displays the applicable window when you start the application.
The four things that get transfers rejected
After watching dozens of these go through, the failure points are boringly consistent.
A bad logbook scan. This is the single most common rejection. A photo taken on a car bonnet at 6pm will not pass. Lay the document flat, use daylight or a proper lamp, capture both sides, and make sure the registration details are legible without squinting.
Outstanding fines. Any unpaid NTSA fine on the vehicle blocks the transfer completely. Check this before you agree a price — an unresolved fine is the seller's problem, and it should be settled before money changes hands.
Mismatched details. A single wrong digit in the chassis or engine number kills the application. Verify against the vehicle itself, not the advert.
A seller who has disappeared. Because the seller initiates, a seller who has taken payment and gone quiet leaves the buyer with a car they cannot legally own. Never release full payment before the transfer has been initiated and you have seen the request in your own notifications tab.
What this means if you're buying
The digital system removes one category of fraud and quietly creates another opportunity for the careful buyer: you can verify ownership status yourself before committing.
Run the registration number through NTSA's records. Confirm the seller's name matches the ID they're showing you. Check that the vehicle isn't flagged. This takes five minutes and it is the cheapest insurance available in the entire transaction.
If the seller resists this — if there's a reason the check has to wait, or the logbook is "with the bank," or the registered owner is a cousin who is currently unreachable — you have all the information you need. Walk away.
Buying from CarXpress? Every vehicle on our lot has its ownership record verified before it reaches the listing, and we initiate the TIMS transfer at handover — so you're not chasing a seller who's gone quiet. Browse available stock →
Fees, deadlines and procedures are set by NTSA and can change. Confirm current figures on the TIMS portal or with NTSA directly before transacting.