A driving licence is issued as an authority to allow a person to drive a motor vehicle of any class on a road. No person shall be allowed to drive a motor vehicle on road unless he is the holder of a valid driving licence or a provisional licence endorsed in respect of that class of vehicle. No person shall be entitled to more than one driving licence, but a driving licence may be endorsed to permit the holder to drive one or more classes of motor vehicle. Driving licences shall upon expiry be renewed on production and upon payment of the prescribed fee. Any person driving a motor vehicle on a road shall carry his driving licence or provisional licence, and on being so required by a police officer, produce it for examination.
Conditions for acquiring of a driving licence in Kenya
A licencing officer shall not grant an applicant a driving licence endorsed in respect of any class of motor vehicle unless the applicant;
- Over the age of sixteen years
- Over the age of eighteen (18) years, except in respect of motor cycles
- In respect of matatus and motor-omnibuses;
- Is over the age of twenty-four (24) years; and
- Has for not less than four (4) years held a license endorsed in respect of motor-cars or commercial vehicles
- Satisfies the licencing officer that
- He has passed a test of competence to drive that class of motor vehicle and that he holds a certificate of competence
- Is the holder of a valid driving licence for that class of motor vehicle granted by a competent authority in a member country of the Commonwealth
- Is the holder of an international driving permit
- Is able to read, with glasses if worn, a motor vehicle identification plate at a distance of twenty-five (25) metres. A person who is totally blind or blind in one eye is not allowed to hold a driving licence
- Makes a declaration as to whether or not he/she is suffering from any such disease or physical disability which would be likely to cause the driving by him of a motor vehicle to be a source of danger to the public
- If it appears to a licencing officer that there is reason to believe that the applicant for any driving licence is suffering from disease or physical disability likely to cause the driving by him of a motor vehicle, of the class or classes in respect of which the application for a license is made, to be a source of danger to the public, such application may be disapproved unless the applicant;
- Produces a certificate from a medical practitioner stating that in the opinion of such medical practitioner the applicant is physically fit to drive the class or classes of motor vehicle in question; and
- Undergoes and passes a driving test
Driving licence categories in Kenya
The driving licence categories in Kenya are divided into 7 groups: A, B, C, D, E, F and G. These categories specify the class of vehicles that a licence holder can drive. Categories A to D are further subdivided into different classes while categories E to G define special driving classes. Here is the list of all the driving licence categories along with their descriptions and minimum requirements.
1. Category A driving licences
Category | Description | Requirements |
A1 |
| Minimum age of 16 years |
A2 |
| Minimum age of 18 years |
A3 |
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2. Category B driving licences
Category | Description | Requirements |
B1 |
| Minimum age of 18 years |
B2 |
| Minimum age of 18 years |
B3 |
| Minimum age of 21 years |
3. Category C driving licences
Category | Description | Requirements |
C1 |
| Minimum age of 22 years |
C |
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CE |
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CE |
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4. Category D driving licences
Category | Description | Requirements |
D1 |
| Minimum of 22 years |
D2 |
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D3 |
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5. Category E driving licences
Category | Description | Requirements |
Special professional driving licence | Enables one to drive any vehicles classified under categories C1, C, CE, D, D1, D2, D3 and licenced as EC1, EC, ECE, ED, ED1, ED2 and ECD3 respectively |
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6. Category F driving licences
Category | Description | Requirements |
Special driving licence for Persons with Disability (PWD) | Enables one to drive a vehicle depending on the category the PWD is trained on |
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7. Category G driving licences
Category | Description | Requirements |
Industrial construction and agricultural plants equipment | Enables one to operate forklift, motor grader, shovel, excavator, roller and any other special kinds of plant and equipment for which special authorization is required from the authority as defined in the Traffic Act before such plants can be registered for use | Endorsement for class G will be done on the driving licence |
Large sized SUVs belong to which category in a driving school?