Officers from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) have nabbed two traffic Officers in Mombasa and Murang'a county over corruption allegations.
The commission confirmed that the arrest of the two was executed in separate instances on Tuesday, December 30, after multiple complaints from the public regarding rampant bribery by traffic officers.
The first officer, who was attached to the Murang'a traffic base, was nabbed along the Kenol- Murang'a Road, and officers from the commission recovered Ksh6,450 in denominations of Ksh50, 100, and 200, which were believed to have been collected within two hours.
The officer was escorted to the commission's Central Regional Offices for processing and later booked at Nyeri Police Station, where he was released on cash bail.
In the same operation, officers from the commission also caught another officer along the Kerugoya–Kutus Road red-handed while he was in the process of collecting bribery. The officer later escaped into nearby bushes, leaving behind official police attire.
The second officer was arrested along the Mtwapa- Malindi Road, and was found in possession of Ksh13,750, in 100 notes, believed to be proceeds of corruption.
"Upon arrest, Kes13,750 in various denominations was recovered from the suspect. He was escorted to the EACC Upper Coast Regional Office in Malindi for statement recording and further processing," EACC said.
The commission has assured the public that it will not back down on its crackdown on corrupt security officers, particularly during the festive season when corruption cases tend to spike.
"EACC continues to scale up intelligence gathering and surveillance targeting essential public services and sectors prone to corruption, with a view to promoting integrity, accountability and professionalism in public service," the commission stated.
The latest operation comes just days after the commission apprehended three other traffic officers, including an inspector of Police, along the Kisumu- Kisii at Sondu for allegedly soliciting and receiving bribes from motorists.
According to the commission, the three were caught while demanding bribes from motorists without conducting any inspections or enforcing traffic regulations.
"Upon arrest, the officers were found in possession of cash in various denominations, suspected to be proceeds of corruption," EACC said in a statement on Saturday, December 27.
