Kenya NTSA Driving Test Study Guide: Road Signs, Highway Code and the Model Town Board

Kenyan road signs fall into three families that you must be able to name on sight, because the examiner will point at signs on the Model Town Board and ask you to identify them. The single most important Kenya-specific fact is the colour of warning signs: in Kenya they are triangular with a black symbol on a YELLOW background, not the white-with-red-border triangle used in the United Kingdom.[1][2]

• A built-up area speed-limit sign shows 50, meaning 50 km/h.[1]
• A yellow chevron sign warns of a sharp change of direction, such as on a roundabout approach or a sharp bend.[2]
• Keep Left or Drive on the Left signs appear at exits from ports, airports and tourist resorts to remind drivers that Kenya drives on the left.[1]

Kenya inverts the line-colour convention you may know from the UK. In Kenya, YELLOW lines mark the CENTRE of the road and separate opposing streams of traffic, while WHITE lines mark lanes that run in the same direction and mark the edges of the carriageway. Get this the right way round and most marking questions answer themselves.[1][3]

Keep LEFT at all times unless you are overtaking. Overtake only on the RIGHT, and only when the road ahead is clear. This single principle, keep left and overtake right, underlies most of the rules-of-the-road questions.[1][4]

• Roundabouts: give way to traffic approaching from the RIGHT; vehicles already on the roundabout have priority. Approach in the correct lane and exit in the correct lane.[1]
• On a roundabout there is no stopping, no parking, no overtaking, no changing lanes and no waiting.[1]
• Give way to ambulances, fire engines and police vehicles sounding sirens, and to the presidential motorcade. Obey directions from a police officer or traffic marshal.[1][4]
• Pedestrians on a marked zebra crossing have the right of way; slow down and stop for them.[1]

• Drink-driving limit for ordinary drivers: 80 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood (35 microgrammes per 100 ml of breath). For PSV, commercial and school-transport drivers the limit is ZERO.[4]
• The police breathalyser is known as Alcoblow. Refusing or failing to take a breath test when directed is an offence. The drunk-driving penalty is a fine up to KES 100,000 and/or imprisonment up to 2 years, plus licence suspension.[1][4]
• Every occupant must wear a seatbelt at all times. Failing to wear one while the vehicle is in motion carries a KES 500 fine.[1][4]
• Motorcycle riders and passengers must wear a helmet and a reflective jacket. A motorcycle may carry only ONE pillion passenger, and the rider must provide a helmet for that passenger.[1][4]
• Use the 4-second following distance rule in rain, fog or other adverse weather.[1]

• Report an accident to a police station as soon as possible, within 24 hours.[1][4]
• All motor vehicles except motorcycles must carry a reflective warning triangle; place warning triangles in front of and behind a disabled vehicle. A vehicle should also carry a first-aid kit and a fire extinguisher.[1]

NTSA, the National Transport and Safety Authority, was established by the NTSA Act No. 33 of 2012. It manages and regulates the road-transport sector, including vehicle registration, transport licensing, motor-vehicle inspection, driver testing and licensing, and road safety.[5][6]

• Carry a valid driving licence of the correct class.[1]
• Carry a valid motor-vehicle insurance certificate (third-party is the minimum cover) plus the windscreen insurance sticker.[1][4]
• Carry a valid vehicle inspection or roadworthiness certificate where required.[1]
• Example fixed fines: no seatbelt in motion KES 500; using a mobile phone while driving KES 2,000; motorcycle without protective gear KES 1,000; driving without number plates KES 10,000; driving without a valid inspection certificate KES 10,000.[1][4]

The Model Town Board is a tabletop scale model, roughly 4 ft by 3 ft, of a town road network. In the NTSA oral test the candidate drives a toy or model car around it while narrating each action. You are expected to state the rules and features of the board out loud and to identify road signs the examiner points to.[1]

• Board features: major roads (4 lanes) and minor roads (3 lanes), a multi-lane roundabout with a central island, angle parking and flush parking, zebra crossings, white and yellow road markings (solid and broken), and STOP, Give Way and Pedestrian-crossing signs.[1]
• Use the shortest, most correct route. Do not drive through the parking unless there is no other route.[1]
• At the roundabout, give way to traffic approaching from the right.[1]
• When parking, park from the furthest side. For angle parking, enter in forward (first) gear and exit in reverse.[1]

1. State the rules and features of the board when asked.[1]
2. Identify road signs the examiner points to, usually at least 3 chosen at random.[1]
3. Complete board tasks, such as moving a vehicle to a marked position while observing the rules of the road.[1]