How to check a car's history in Kenya

Last updated · Cada car guides

Start with an NTSA motor vehicle search on eCitizen, which shows the registered owner, the chassis and engine numbers and whether a financier is recorded. Then ask for service records and receipts, check the mileage against them, and for an imported car ask for the Japanese auction sheet and export certificate. On Cada, sellers can attach a service history to a listing, shown on the listing's history page.

Key facts
NTSA searchOwner, chassis, engine, financier; requested and paid on eCitizen
Loans on carsCheck NTSA's record; lenders may also register at BRS's Collateral Registry
ImportsAuction sheet, export certificate, pre-export inspection
Service historyReceipts, service book, dealer records

What each check tells you

  • NTSA search: who legally owns the car and whether a lender has an interest.
  • Collateral Registry (Business Registration Service): whether a lender has registered a security right over the car.
  • Service records: whether the car was maintained and what mileage it had at each visit.
  • Auction sheet and export certificate: the car's condition and mileage when it left Japan.
  • Inspection: what the records cannot tell you.

Common questions

Does the NTSA search show accident history?

Not as a full accident record. Use insurance claims, an inspection and, for imports, the auction grade (R or RA means repaired accident damage).

On Cada

Sources

  1. eCitizen: NTSA services (motor vehicle search, transfer, registration)
  2. Business Registration Service: FAQs (collateral registry, hire purchase)
  3. Kenya Law: Traffic Act (Cap. 403)

General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and fees change; confirm with the authority named in the sources before you pay.