You won’t get flashy police cars soon, Nairobians told

By HUDSON GUMBIHI

Although Nairobians might have looked at media pictures of flashy police patrol cars in Mombasa with bouts of jealousy, it seems it will take a while for the big city to have its own.

Smaller city Mombasa has bought 20 sleek Toyota saloon cars fitted with cameras and hi-tech police communication gadgets.

Media reports indicate it was the initiative of development-conscious governor, Hassan Joho. But East Africa’s biggest city is not ready to spend on such flashy police cars just yet, at least according to county bosses.

“Mombasa has its own endowment. They have their challenges, they have their plans. Their priorities and plans are different from ours,” county spokesman Fedelis Mwatha told The Nairobian.

Both cities have almost similar security problems with Nairobi police having difficulty finding cars to chase after gangsters.

Mwatha assured Nairobians that the city has its own projects to brag about.

He said the county government has invested in CCTV cameras, increased traffic lights in the city and launched the Safer Cities Initiative that intends to reduce crime in the next few years.

Mombasa has become the first county in Kenya to buy cars for police. The six vehicles that are in the coastal town already, cost about Sh2.6 million each.

Fourteen more are expected soon, according to Governor Joho.

Most stations in Nairobi do not have enough patrol cars.

The problem is further worsened by lack of enough fuel, forcing officers to walk on foot or hike lifts when responding to distress calls.

Mwatha said although buying police cars is not an urgent issue, the county government will consider the idea in the near future.

“I am not saying that we don’t need them, we shall buy,” he said.