Government to roll out digital system to track state vehicles

The government is rolling out a centralised digital system to monitor the use of government vehicles, including fuel consumption, mileage, authorised drivers and maintenance history, in a move aimed at strengthening accountability for public assets.

Head of Public Service Felix Koskei said the Government Vehicle Management System (GVMS) will provide real-time oversight of the government's vehicle fleet as part of ongoing efforts to digitise government operations.

Koskei said the system would help address gaps in the management of government vehicles, including misuse of registration plates, inadequate fuel and mileage records and failure to account for vehicles acquired through donor-funded projects after their closure.

"Every shilling spent on fuel, insurance, maintenance and vehicle replacement belongs to the taxpayer and must support the delivery of services to wananchi," he said.

He spoke after holding a consultative meeting with representatives of the Executive, Parliament, Judiciary and security agencies to review operational protocols governing government vehicles.

Koskei said the meeting was aimed at ensuring government institutions have a common approach to implementing the reforms while taking into account changing transport needs, technological developments and increased accountability requirements.

At the centre of the reforms is the GVMS, which will create a centralised record of government vehicles and allow authorities to monitor their use.

The system will capture information including the vehicle assigned, its authorised driver, fuel consumption, mileage and maintenance history.

Koskei said the government was also working towards establishing a comprehensive and validated database of its entire fleet.

Data from ministries, departments, agencies and county governments will be verified and consolidated to create what he described as one authoritative record of government vehicles.

The government will also fit every government vehicle with a tracking system in line with existing protocols.

Koskei said the measures would enable the government to automate monitoring, improve compliance and detect possible misuse of public vehicles.

He, however, cautioned that technology alone would not guarantee proper management of government assets, saying public officers entrusted with government vehicles must take responsibility for their use.

"Public officers entrusted with Government vehicles must exercise responsibility, uphold discipline and ensure that these assets serve the public interest," he said.

He said effective implementation would also require capable personnel, clear institutional responsibilities and consistent enforcement of the rules governing government vehicles.

The reforms will bring together various arms and agencies of government as the State seeks to establish common standards for managing the fleet.

Koskei said the government was also working with the National Treasury on the registration and accountability of vehicles acquired through projects, particularly donor-funded programmes.

He said the government was further finalising the National Transport Policy, which will provide a broader framework for the country's transport sector.