The format of vehicle license plates in Kenya is quite similar to the UK registration plates. However, in Kenya, we use the format LLL NNNL; L denotes Letter while N denotes Number.
While the exact date of the first vehicle registration in Kenya remains unknown, there is strong speculation that it occurred before 1920. During this period, the earliest license plate format was LLL NNN.
During this period, before 1989, each letter on the license plate was assigned to a specific district among the 14 available. All number plates began with K, followed by the regional code and a serial letter ranging from A to Z, excluding the letters I and O.
This was followed by a serial number ranging from 1 to 999. The old number plates featured white digits & letters on black plates, in contrast to the modern era where black-on-white plates are used.
The number plates were assigned based on the following regional areas:
- Nairobi: KB (1950), KF (1955), KG (1959), KH (1961), KK (1965), KM (1968), KN (1970), KP (1972), KQ (1974), KR (1976), KV (1978)
- Mombasa: KA (1950), KJ (1966), KT (1977)
- Nakuru: KC (1950), KL (1967), KS (1977)
- Kisumu: KD (1950), KU (1977)
- Nanyuki: KE
The number plate system was centralized in 1980 and began to follow a sequential sequence. In 1989, the second generation of number plates was introduced after reaching KZZ 999. This series featured plates from KAA 001A to KAZ 999Z.
In the second generation, the sequences KAF, KAO, and KAI were intentionally omitted.
The vehicle registration system skipped KAF due to its association with special registration plates issued to the ‘Kenya Air Forces,’ even though KBF and KCF were included.
Additionally, the series did not include KDF after the KDE sequence, as KDF was reserved for special plates designated to the ‘Kenya Defence Forces.’
According to the Traffic Act governing registration plates, number plates are required to feature ‘optically recognizable characters.’ This is the reason why the letters I and O were consistently omitted from all series across all generations of Kenyan number plates.
Why Kenya Airways is abbreviated as ‘KQ’ and not ‘KA’
Below are examples of special number plates in Kenya:
- GK: Kenyan government-affiliated vehicles
- CG: County government-affiliated vehicles
- GVN: Governor followed by county code
- SNA: Speaker of National Assembly
- SS: Speaker of the Senate
- CJ: Chief Justice
- KA: Kenya Army
- KAF: Kenya Air Force
- KN: Kenya Navy
- KAI: Kenya Agricultural Institute
- Motorcycles: KMCA series
- Heavy machinery: KHMA series
- Tricycle: KTWC series
- NGO’s: KX
- Vehicle Dealers: KG with green background & white letters, numbers
- Parastatals: Blue background plates & white letters, numbers
- Diplomats: N CD, as per UN sequence designation. They have red background plates & white letters, numbers
