The Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission(EACC) has established that many road users deliberately break traffic rules and then offer bribes to traffic police officers.
This is after the commission conducted random checks on major roads due to numerous reports on bribery on the mentioned roads.
“Following reports of bribery on major roads, EACC undertook random spot checks and noted that besides the culpability attributable to traffic police officers, there are many road users deliberately flouting traffic regulations and then proceeding to offer bribes to the police,” read a statement from the commission.
EACC went ahead to caution road users that bribing public officers was a criminal offense and that Kenyans should embrace the culture of abiding by the law.
“Road users are reminded that it is a criminal offense to offer or give a bribe to a public officer. As part of mitigating challenges on our roads, citizens should embrace the culture of obedience to the law, including FULL compliance with traffic requirements,” EACC said.
During the random spot check, the commission managed to arrest several police officers for allegedly receiving bribes from motorists.
It was however not easy to arrest those staged along Meru-Embu Highway near Kangaru girls high school as they engaged EACC officers in a running match abandoning their official vehicle. The arrested police officers will face the full force of the law.
“The officers arrested during the operation, including those who took off on Embu- Meru Highway near Kangaru Girls High School abandoning their GK vehicle, will be dealt with in accordance with the law. Corruption, whether grand or petty, is bad for the country,” EACC noted.
Several Kenyans however differed with EACC findings thus blaming the police officers. Here are some of their reactions.
“Thank you for this. Kindly ask the police to mount speed limits where they want motorists to slow down instead of the hide seek they play on us just to extort money. A civilized society shows where cameras are and speed limits,” Hussein Abdullahi.
“Now this is what will happen. For these few days they won’t be on roads, the number of vehicles arrested will be more and the same revenue will be collected but not in roads but through police stations. Check!!” said another.
“Road users are flouting the traffic rules because either way they’ll be asked for bribes even when they haven’t done anything. You People always act as if it’s a new thing to get a police officer asking for a bribe. you know these things, ni kazi tu hamfanyi!” Wait a minute noted
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