Drama ensued after a deputy OCS serving at Makueni Police Station was arrested for allegedly conducting traffic duties contrary to the law.
The officer was arrested on Wednesday, October 23, at Bunyala Roundabout in Madaraka Sub-County to the surprise of onlookers.
The officer is said to have been on leave from October 18, 2024. Officers from the Industrial Area Police Station nabbed him while conducting traffic.
The officer was in full Persian blue uniform and was in possession of a communication gadget belonging to the Tourist Police Unit.
The police released a statement revealing that the deputy OCS had already been taken back to his home station in Makueni.
“The suspect was arrested and later collected by the SCPC Kathonzweni and escorted to Makueni County police headquarters, where he was placed in cells at Makueni police station awaiting disciplinary action,” the statement indicated.
The officer is set to be held in remand as investigations commence.
Under the National Police Service Act, it is illegal for a traffic police officer to conduct traffic duties while on leave either in their home station or a different station.
More so, the officer contravened other police laws by working in the traffic police section which was outside his mandated area.
“The duty to conduct traffic on Kenyan roads is strictly under the mandate of the traffic police unit thus meaning it is an offence for an officer who is outside the unit to enforce traffic rules on the road,” noted the statement.
The Kenya Police Traffic Department is under the Kenya Police Service of the National Police Service (NPS).
Traffic cops are recruited first and trained as regular police officers before undergoing further specialized training to become traffic personnel.
