Save motorists from thieving police, NTSA

Corruption, they say, is a way of life in the Kenya Police Service that officers seem to be using every opportunity to make a quick buck.

Traffic Policemen, in particular, are perceived to be incorrigibly corrupt. While the introduction of mobile courts in 2013 was well-intended, the corruption cartels in the department abused it. Following a huge public outcry, it was subsequently withdrawn. Now it has emerged that the speed gun is the latest gadget to be misused by unscrupulous policemen in cahoots with officers from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).

Apparently, they have identified hideouts along major roads that they secretly use to record vehicle speeds then call colleagues ahead to detain a motorist for exceeding the speed limit even where this is not the case.

Anxious motorists then pay unreceipted instant fines most of them unaware and without a way of ascertaining their crime. Yet the law stipulates that speed guns must be used in full sight of motorists. An officer doing his work diligently should give proof of speeding to a motorist by physically showing the recordings on the speed gun immediately one is flagged.

When traffic and NTSA officials pick sections of the road where there are no road markings, road signs or prominently displayed speed limits to monitor drivers, the intention cannot be anything but to indulge in corruption. They are also in breach of the law.

And because motorists are unwilling to spend hours within courts where the process is sluggish, giving a bribe offers a quick respite. To fight back the corruption cartel meting out terror, motorists should learn to call the policemen’s bluff; by arguing their case in court and not instinctively giving bribes.

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Besides the loss of a loved one, road accidents are expensive to the economy with nearly 3,000 Kenyans killed on the road each year. Tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds, get hurt and (or) lose their limb. And so efforts to make our roads safe are welcome. But when the authorities that should help enforce the law constantly undermine it, we have to worry.