By ERIC LUNGAI

There was a ticklish incident along Kisumu-Kakamega Road, when a pot-bellied traffic policeman unsuccessfully scrambled — rather frantically — with a youth over Sh100 note bribe that had been dropped for him by a matatu tout.

CHAGRIN

The overloaded vehicle was headed to Kisumu before the officer flagged it down at a check point. Upon slowing down, the tout beckoned the officer and released a folded note — for him — through the window and it fell by the roadside. The beefy cop rushed to pick the note (blown away by wind) — as it is always routine. Unfortunately, the youth who was passing nearby, picked it up much to the chagrin and fury of the officer.

RAGE

“I was very broke, then money is dropped just near my feet...I couldn’t leave it just because it was meant for the cop,” the youth heartily told Crazy Monday.

The officer’s rage attracted a sizeable crowd of onlookers that came to see why he was complaining, only to learn he was tussling with the young man to give him back ‘his’ money.

The road, that usually has a few people, quickly became busy . The officer and his colleagues hid in one of the corners where they could not be seen easily.

The young man defended himself saying he had not seen the note come from the officer’s pocket as it had dropped from the vehicle that had then sped away.

“The money came from the matatu and not the officer’s pocket. How can he say it is his money?” said the furious youth.

Seeing that the boy had become difficult to deal with, the cop gave up and got back on duty — flagging down the other vehicles, perhaps with the hope of recovering what he had lost.

The people at the scene could not leave without castigating the corrupt traffic officer, and his colleagues who they accused of extorting money from matatus that ply the route.

“These officers have never cared about the welfare of matatu operators nor the safety of commuters, all they think about are their stomachs and nothing else.

GIGGLED

How can he let an overloaded matatu go past the road block, just because he has been bribed with Sh100, and shamelessly tussle with a youth over it?” one irate woman exclaimed.

Once the dust had settled, angry onlookers, who had mulled the incident began trickling away, one by one, as they amusedly giggled away.