PSV and lorry drivers: driving hours and the 3-year driving test
Traffic Act · sources read 5 Oct 2026
A matatu, bus or lorry driver may not drive for more than 8 hours in total in any 24 hours. Drivers of public service and commercial vehicles must also pass a driving test every 3 years before their licence can be renewed.
- Deadline
- A driving test every 3 years, as a condition of each licence renewal.
- Deadline
- A medical fitness test (including eyes and hearing) every 3 years from the date the licence was issued or renewed.
- Where
- Driving tests and licence renewal: NTSA (ntsa.go.ke). Offences are tried in the magistrates' courts.
What you need
- A doctor's report certifying your physical fitness, eyesight and hearing (needed to renew the licence).
Steps
- Before renewing a PSV or commercial driving licence, book and pass the NTSA driving test (required every 3 years).
- Plan shifts so that no driver is behind the wheel for more than 8 hours in total in any 24-hour period.
- Every 3 years, get a physical fitness test, including an eye and hearing test, from a qualified doctor.
Watch out
- Driving more than 8 hours: up to KSh 50,000 fine or up to 12 months in jail for a first offence.
- A repeat offence: up to KSh 70,000 or 2 years in jail, and the court must suspend the driver's licence for at least 30 days.
- If it happens again with the same PSV, the court must also suspend that vehicle's PSV licence for at least 30 days.
Who this covers
- Anyone driving a public service vehicle (matatu, bus) or a commercial vehicle (lorry, truck).
Official sources (1)
- Traffic Act (Cap. 403) new.kenyalaw.org · read 5 Oct 2026