Why you may have to walk after the tout is arrested

                  A traffic police officer inspects a tout’s documents in Murang’a during an operation.  [PHOTO: FILE]

By Couny reporter

Commuters using public service vehicles should be ready to seek alternative means whenever they  are so directed by traffic police officers in case the crews of the vehicles they are travelling in commit traffic offences.

 Nairobi County Traffic Commandant Edward Mwamburi says his officers have been forced to take matatu crew to court immediately they commit an offence since most of them do not honour notices to appear.

 He says the traffic courts have been forced to issue many arrest warrants for PSV crew who do not honour the court notices.

“Traffic courts no longer recognise notices to appear in court issued to PSV crew as most of them do not honour them. There is an accumulation of the notices in courts. Further, even the arrest warrants issued by the courts are hard to enforce since matatu crew jump from one matatu to another, thereby making it difficult to trace them,” said Mwamburi.

 The traffic boss also blamed owners of vehicles saying they did not keep proper records of their crew and hence do not furnish police with the same whenever required to do so.

 Mwamburi’s   comments come in the wake of an early morning incident in Kawangware Estate where angry commuters from Ngong threatened to beat up traffic police officers for forcing them out of a matatu that had taken a wrong route.

  The passengers, most of who were women, protested at the action of the officers from Kabete Police Division and demanded that they issue the driver of the vehicle with a notice to appear in court instead.

 The officers, an inspector and two junior female officers, instead stood their ground drawing the wrath of the passengers who argued that they were getting late for work.

 “Since you are at work yourselves, don’t you think you are being insensitive at the plight of other people? You don’t care whether people are sacked for being late for no fault of theirs,” shouted one female passenger.

The officers, none of whom displayed their force.