Secret Video Exposes New Trick Nairobi Police Officers Use to Collect Bribes

Matatus caught up in a traffic snarl-up at Tom Mboya street near Khoja/Old Mutual terminus
Matatus caught up in a traffic snarl-up at Tom Mboya street near Khoja/Old Mutual terminus in May 2020.
Photo
Ma3Route

A secretly recorded video that hit the interwebs on Saturday July 24, exposed a new trick traffic police officers are using to collect bribes from public service vehicle (PSV) drivers and conductors.

In the video seen by Kenyans.co.ke, two traffic police officers are seen halting PSVs after which some civilians standing beside them get into the vehicle, take some money from the touts and alight.

The video shared by a user under the name Lexy on Twitter was captured along Kangundo road in Nairobi.

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"When will corruption end in Kenya? This is how traffic officers operate along Kangundo road. The two youth are being used by cops to collect bribes in PSV matatus," the netizen captioned the video.

Further, he alerted the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai.

A section of Kenyans who saw the video indicated that it was the new tactic police officers were using to collect bribes.

"I saw something similar yesterday in CBD, it didn't make sense then but now it does. Bribes are collected indirectly," Yollan stated.

"It is the same in Rongai near the turn off to Nazarene University," another weighed in.

Traffic officers have on a number of times been accused of collecting bribes. Along Thika Road, officers stationed in Githurai collect bribes from PSV drivers every morning.

Kenyans.co.ke observed that matatu operators are also ready with a Ksh50 note which they secretly give to the officers.

In turn, the officers downplay some of their mistakes including carrying excessive passengers.

A policing service delivery performance survey released in July 2021 revealed that half of Kenyan police officers like policing but are not satisfied with their jobs.

 Cars in traffic along Uhuru Highway, Nairobi
Cars in traffic along Uhuru Highway, Nairobi
Simon Kiragu
Kenyans.co.ke
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