Major General Kon John Akot, Director-General of the national Traffic Police. (Photo: Courtesy).

The Interior Ministry has ordered the National Traffic Police to adopt the issuance of a permanent logbook for motorists across the country.

This comes after President Salva Kiir signed a memo presented by the national parliament on the issue of logbook renewal.

It is reportedly intended to minimize harassment and extortion of road users by traffic police officers.

The Director General of National Traffic Police said he will comply with the permanent logbook policy.

Major General Kon John Akot said he has also ordered the traffic police in the states to implement the order.

“We do not have the right to object to the decision, and I have instructed all states to implement the decision that renewal of the logbook is only in the case of transfer of ownership,” Kon said.

But the traffic official claims the non-renewal of logbooks “will harm the security as well as owners of the cars.”

He, however, appealed “to the citizens to come and renew their car licenses once and for all as directed by the authorities.”

The permanent logbook issuance will come into effect two months after the national parliament questioned the Ministry of Transport over the annual renewal of logbooks.

The lawmakers were concerned that the situation has led traffic police officers to harass motorists in the name of the document.

In response, Director-General Kon John defended that it is an international practice that vehicles must renew their documents.

“The international traffic law says that the car license must be renewed every year Comprehensive insurance and third-party insurance because, in the event of any accident, the insurance remains responsible for the criminal procedures in the matter of releasing the offender by guarantee.”

In April 2022 the Ministry of Transport officially launched the issuance of new digitized logbooks and plate numbers.

The electronic logbooks were not subject to renewal like the current ones.

Motorists have been required to register with the ministry by resubmitting their current logbooks in order to obtain a digitized one.