The government is set to introduce a real-time tracking system for all state-owned vehicles in a move aimed at curbing misuse, improving accountability and ensuring public resources are used more efficiently.
Chief of Staff and Head of the Public Service Felix Koskei said the new initiative will see every government vehicle fitted with tracking devices under the Government Vehicle Management System (GVMS), a digital platform that will allow authorities to monitor how official vehicles are used.
The system will provide real-time information on each vehicle, including its authorised driver, fuel consumption, mileage and maintenance history.
Koskei said the platform is part of wider reforms intended to strengthen the management of government assets and improve transparency across the public service.
“At the centre of these reforms is the Government Vehicle Management System (GVMS), a centralised digital platform that will provide real-time oversight of every Government vehicle, its authorised driver, fuel consumption, mileage and maintenance history,” he said.
Besides tracking vehicle movements, the government will also establish a central database containing verified records of all government vehicles across ministries, departments, agencies and county governments.
According to Koskei, the database will help ensure accurate records of the government fleet while the system will incorporate safeguards to protect data integrity and cybersecurity.
The reforms come as the government seeks to address long-standing concerns over the management of state vehicles, including the misuse of government registration plates, incomplete fuel and mileage records and the disappearance of donor-funded vehicles once projects come to an end.
Koskei noted that such weaknesses have continued to undermine accountability and proper management of public resources.
He said billions of shillings spent every year on fuel, insurance, repairs and replacement of government vehicles should directly support service delivery instead of being lost through poor management or abuse.
The planned reforms were discussed during a consultative meeting bringing together representatives from the Executive, Parliament, the Judiciary and security agencies as the government works towards adopting a more unified approach to managing its vehicle fleet.
Even so, Koskei said technology alone would not solve the problem.
He urged accounting officers and other public servants entrusted with government vehicles to take personal responsibility in ensuring the assets are used strictly for official duties.
He also revealed that the government is finalising the National Transport Policy and is working with the National Treasury to improve the registration and tracking of project vehicles, particularly those acquired through donor-funded programmes.
The latest move is expected to tighten oversight of government vehicles, reduce wastage of public funds and improve accountability across public institutions.
