Kisumu residents want their cops to be issued with uniforms without pockets.
This, they claim, will ensure cops have nowhere to put the monies they allegedly collect form motorists.
Speaking to The Nairobian, Kisumu Residents Voice Association Chairman ,Audi Ogada, noted they are working on a petition which will be forwarded to the Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinet on the new proposal.
“It is time we restore sanity in our roads. Irrespective of the many roadblocks we have, the region is still the leading in non-compliance to traffic rules. This begs the question on what the officers do on the roads,” said Ogada.
The activist claimed that area motorists lose up to Sh1.2 million every day to rogue traffic officers, a situation which has made the transport business very expensive.
“For instance, matatus operating in the route headed to Siaya give approximately Sh300, 000 to traffic officers every day. And with four major routes connecting Kisumu to other towns, we approximate that the matatus could be losing not less than Sh1.2 million daily,” he said.
Last week, Kisumu residents in collaboration with transport operators organised a demonstration to push Boinet to reduce the number of police road blocks in the roads within the area and strengthen operations against rogue transport operators.
“When you find so many road blocks and the rate of impunity is still high you have all the reasons to worry. How can the rogue transport operators manage to pass through the many road blocks manned by officers with without being noticed?” posed Ogada.
He added: “These officers must now dress in uniforms with no pockets so that they have nowhere to keep what they pick from the roads.”
Kisumu Regional Traffic Enforcement Officer Andrew Naibei, however, said the transport operators have not brought to his attention any challenges they face with the traffic officers, hence could not comment on the issues raised by the stakeholders.
“I am not aware of any protest being organised by the operators and I have never received any concerns from them,” said Naibei.
