We need this super policeman to patrol aerial road for faster Chinese loan repayment

Jamal Bare Mohamed is a very industrious policeman. A child prodigy, he claims he inherited his family wealth at the age of 10 and doubled the herds in a few years, although camels appeared to reproduce faster than goats.

Goats’ gestation period is five months, compared to camels’ 15 months.

But even that shouldn’t surprise anyone; for the six years Mohamed rode his police motorcycle on the Thika-Garissa highway, he banked between Sh200,000 to Sh500,000 every month, against his monthly police pay of some Sh35,000.

Cumulatively, Mohamed had deposited some Sh26 million when he came under Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission sleuths’ radar. Members of the public complained of being extorted by the officer before he was filmed in action.

This week, Mohamed surrendered the Sh26 million loot to the government. He will keep a piece of land in Thika, worth some Sh3 million, and a vehicle he had bought during that period.

He claimed that his livestock business brought him legitimate income that he used to acquire the properties.

It is not clear if Mohamed retains his police job. If he does, please don’t fire him. Given his demonstrable skills in revenue collection, he would prove invaluable if deployed to the new tolls to be installed on Mombasa Road—as long as he issues official receipts.

If he was able to mobilise so much money—and that was only a side hustle—I think he would be much more effective as a toll attendant as he knows how to deal with motorists. And who knows, by using his remarkable gifts, we could repay the Chinese much faster!