EACC arrests nine traffic officers for taking bribes

Traffic Police officer (center) based at Kisumu Central police station in handcuffs after he and his colleagues were arrested for taking bribes along Kisumu-Busia and Kisumu-Kakamega roads on November 20,2019. The five officers were released on police bond.[ Courtesy]

The Ethics and Anticorruption Commission has arrested nine traffic police officers caught extorting money from motorists in Nakuru, Kajiado and Kisii.

The commission’s spokesperson Eric Ngumbi confirmed that the nine officers were compromising road safety during the festive season. He said an officer in Embu escaped.

“The officers who were seen collecting bribes, were in the guise of traffic law enforcement,” Ngumbi said.

Ngumbi said the officers were arrested at different notorious bribe collection spots in Nakuru, Kajiado and Kisii between December 25 and 31, 2024.

He added that they were released on cash bail pending finalization of the investigation and further action.

Five of the officers, Ngumbi said, were arrested at Salgaa in Nakuru, along Nakuru-Eldoret Highway on December 30, 2024.

He said two were arrested along Nairobi-Namanga Road in Kajiado County, and two others in Kisii, along Kisii-Rongo Road on Christmas day.

“Additionally, at Gathoge area, along Makutano-Embu Highway, a police corporal escaped arrest on December 26, 2024. He had hidden the collected money in a nearby bush,” said Ngumbi.

EACC called upon motorists, traffic officers and the public, to embrace the culture of adhering to traffic laws to prevent road accidents and fatalities, and enhance the safety of all road users.

Ngumbi said in its operations during the festive season, EACC observed that in some cases, motorists offered bribes to police officers to escape sanctions for traffic violations such as ignoring speed limits, driving without a valid license, and overloading.

“This not only undermines the integrity of law enforcement but also perpetuates a cycle of corruption that endangers public safety,” noted Ngumbi.

Further, Ngumbi said EACC is also investigating reports that in some regions, senior police officers demand motorists to consolidate and submit their bribes to their offices on a weekly or monthly basis in exchange for protection.