NAIROBI: There is every reason for Kenyan motorists who love their tipple to be extra careful this Easter. A new advanced breathalyser is set to be rolled out on all major roads in the country this evening.
Built by one of Germany’s best tech companies, Bavaria International, the gadget named Erfassung – which means ‘capture’ in German – was ordered after Joseph Boinett was sworn in as the new Inspector General of Police.
“We are serious about keeping Kenya safe. We had to get these gadgets into the country before the Easter period, knowing very well that road accidents and insecurity tend to rise during the holidays,” Mr Boinett told The Standard in an exclusive interview.
Erfassung, currently in use in Germany alone, has the capability to detect the levels of alcohol in a motorist’s breath from more than three kilometres away. As the car approaches a checkpoint, a red light on the gadget will blink. As the motorist approaches, the warning light flickers faster.
The Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) has approved the use of Erfassung, saying it is a better technology than the gadgets currently being used by police.
“The Alcoblow required that every motorist blows into the gadget, with the mouth coming in close contact. This is not hygienic considering that Africa is still fighting the Ebola scourge,” commented Charles Ongwae, Kebs’ managing director.
So far, the technology closest to Erfassung is the temperature gun used in high-end private hospitals as thermometers to detect patients’ temperature from a distance without actual contact.
The National Transport and Safety Authority has welcomed the development and thanke Boinett for his ready-to-work attitude.
The makers of Erfassung say the device employs the Doppler effect: the change in frequency of a wave for an observer moving relative to its source.
SECRET MEETING
When a motorist breathes, waves emitted by Erfassung will bounce off alcohol molecules mid-air, sending back data to the gadget’s microprocessor, which then analyses and detects the concentration of alcohol within a second.
Sources close to State House have informed The Standard of a secret meeting between Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery and President Uhuru Kenyatta, where the head of State was adequately briefed on the intended use of the new gadget over Easter to bring down incidents of road carnage.
The Traffic Police department expects to book thousands of drink-drivers when the gadget is deployed.
Interestingly, a Chinese firm named Ding-Dong-Du Technologies is set to bring into the country miniature versions of Erfassung, which motorists can use to test alcohol levels in their breath to avoid being nabbed at checkpoints.
Through its Kenyan partner, Kamau, Onyango & Kipchirchir Softwares, the Chinese company has provided 13 gadgets to Standard Group for sampling by the public.
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