Kenya Number Plate Search (2026) | KDW, Green EV Plates & Diplomatic List

Kenya Number Plate Search

Updated Jan 2026: Search KDW, Diplomatic, Historical & EV Plates

Toggle between standard imports (7-year rule) and zero-mileage units.

The Ultimate Guide to Kenyan Number Plates (2026)

From the 1920s District Codes to the Digital KDW Series

About This Tool: What Can You Do?

The Kenya Number Plate Search is a free utility designed for car buyers, importers, and insurance agents. Use it to:

Verify Vehicle Age: Instantly calculate the likely manufacture year of a used import (7-year rule) vs. a showroom brand new car.
Decode Latest Series: Check if a registration (e.g., KDW) is the latest series released by NTSA in 2026.
Identify EV Plates: Recognize the new Green Plates for Electric Vehicles (Prefixes EVA and EMAA).
Search Diplomatic Codes: Find out which Embassy belongs to a specific Red Plate code (e.g., type "1 CD" for Germany).

1. Latest Updates: 2026 & The Green Revolution

As of January 2026, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has rolled out significant updates. The standard civilian series has advanced to KDW.

New Green EV Plates (EVA / EMAA)

Launched in March 2024, these plates feature a white font on a green background to promote the green economy.

  • EVA: Electric Vehicles (Cars, Buses) - Starts at EVA 001A.
  • EMAA: Electric Motorcycles - Starts at EMAA 001A.
  • Cost: KES 3,000 for replacement.

2. Decode by Color: What Do They Mean?

White (Front) / Yellow (Rear)

Standard civilian, commercial, and public service vehicles.

Red Plates

Diplomatic Corps (CD, UN, KX) and NGO vehicles (KX).

Blue Plates

Parastatals and state-owned institutions.

Green Backgrounds

1. EVs: White on Green (EVA/EMAA).
2. Dealers (KD) & Fabricators (KG): White on Green.
3. Counties: Green on White (e.g., 47 CG).

GK / KA / KAF

National Government and Military vehicles.

NGO (KX)

Red background with white letters/numbers.

3. Complete History (1920s - Present)

Pre-1950: District Codes

Earliest registration (before 1920). Single letters for districts:

N : Kiambu
A : Mombasa
C : Nakuru
E : Kisumu
G : Nyeri
L : Kisii
B,H,T,W : Nairobi
Q : Machakos
D : Kericho
F : Eldoret
K : Muranga
S : Lamu
V : Isiolo
Y : Nanyuki

1st Gen: K-Prefix Series (1950 - 1989)

Introduced in 1950. The second letter indicated the region. Ended at KZZ 999.

  • 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).

2nd Gen: Centralization (1989 - 2007)

Started in 1989 after KZZ 999. Format KAA 001A to KAZ 999Z. (KAF, KAO, KAI omitted).

3rd & 4th Gen (2007 - 2020)

3rd Gen (2007): Started with KBA 001A.
4th Gen (2014): Started with KCA 001A.

5th Gen: The Digital Era (2020 - Present)

Started with KDA 001A in early 2020. New look plates launched Aug 2022 featuring microchip, FE-Schrift font, Kenyan flag watermark, and hologram.

4. Specialized Categories

Motorcycles: KMCA series.
Tricycles (TukTuks): KTWC series.
Heavy Machinery: KHMA series.
Dealers (KD) / Assemblers (KG): Green background, white letters.

5. State & Diplomatic Codes

Government Officials

GK: Government of Kenya
47 CG: Nairobi County (Code + CG)
CJ: Chief Justice
GVN: Governor
SNA: Speaker National Assembly
SS: Speaker Senate
KA: Kenya Army
KAF: Kenya Air Force
KN: Kenya Navy
KAI: Kenya Agricultural Institute

Full Diplomatic List (1 CD - 136 CD)

Ordered by recognition of Kenya's independence. 1 CD = Germany.

CodeEntityCodeEntity
1 CDGermany69 CDBurundi
2 CDRussian Federation70 CDChile
3 CDEthiopia71 CDOman
4 CDChina72 CDArab League
5 CDNorway73 CDEuropean Union
6 CDHungary74 CDYemen
7 CDEgypt75 CDKenya Mission to UNEP
8 CDSerbia76 CDCôte d'Ivoire
9 CDItaly77 CDBangladesh
10 CDFrance78 CDSaudi Arabia
11 CDSlovakia79 UNUNCHS (Habitat)
12 CDDenmark80 CDLibya
13 CDJapan81 CDIreland
14 CDSudan82 UNUNCHS Mission
15 CDAustria83 CDAlgeria
16 CDIndia84 CDPalestine
17 CDAustralia85 CDUganda
18 CDCanada86 CDMexico
19 CDHoly See (Vatican)87 CDMorocco
20 CDFinland88 CDCosta Rica
21 CDSwitzerland89 CDGabon
22 CDBritain90 UNUNICEF Mission
23 CDLiberia91 CDIndonesia
24 CDIsrael92 CDPortugal
25 CDNigeria93 CDVenezuela
26 CDGhana94 CDZimbabwe
27 CDNetherlands95 UNICAO
28 CDMalawi96 CDAsian Dev Bank
29 CDUSA97 CDTanzania
30 CDBelgium99 CDPeru
31 CDSweden100 UNIFC
32 CDPakistan101 UNUNEP Norway
33 CDPoland102 CDMozambique
34 CDKorea103 CDSouth Africa
35 CDBulgaria104 CDEritrea
36 CDGreece105 UNUNON
37 CDCuba106 UNIOM
38 CDKuwait106 CDCzech Republic
39 CDSpain107 CDIMF
40 UNUNDP110 CDBotswana
41 UNWHO110 UNUNIDO
42 UNUNESCO111 UNUNAIDS
43 UNWorld Bank112 UNIFAD
44 UNFAO113 UNUNOPS
45 CDRomania114 UNUNRCO
45 UNWFP115 UNUNODC
46 CDThailand116 UNOCHA
47 CDAfrican Union117 UNUN WOMEN
48 CDColombia118 UNUNSOS
49 CDIndia119 UNOHCHR
50 CDSomalia115 CDUkraine
51 CDBrazil116 CDSahrawi
52 CDTurkey117 CDDjibouti
53 CDLesotho118 CDSierra Leone
54 CDZambia119 CDOrder of Malta
55 CDMadagascar120 CDCongo-Brazzaville
56 CDMalaysia121 CDSouth Sudan
57 CDDR Congo122 CDICC
58 CDSwaziland123 CDUAE
59 CDSri Lanka124 CDQatar
60 CDIraq125 CDSenegal
61 CDRwanda126 CDAngola
62 UNUNHCR127 CDAFDB
63 UNUNICEF128 CDJordan
64 CDIran129 CDBurkina Faso
65 CDCyprus130 CDTunisia
66 CDArgentina131 CDBelarus
67 UNUNIC132 CDPalestine
68 CDPhilippines133 CDCameroon
134 CDBarbados
135 CDAzerbaijan
136 CDIGAD