Minting millions on the roads

The traffic police have come up with ingenious ways of collecting bribes from matatus to avoid detection. And they don’t have to be on the roads to get their share, writes Amos Kareithi

Their official caps are as white as snow, perhaps to attract motorists from afar. And their reflective jackets further enhance their visibility alerting matatu operators to get ready for their clandestine ritual.

They are the traffic police officers and have formed a pedestal where morality has been sacrificed at the altar of quick riches.

Some of their ilk have become like feudal lords, treating matatu operators as vassals who must pay for safe passage and daily protection.

They have invented new foolproof methods of extorting money in an attempt to beat any sting operations, which may be mounted by anti-corruption agencies.

In some areas, criminal gangs controlling the matatu industry have worked out a sharing formula with the police to avoid conflicts. In other cases Sacco officials are the conduits.

Main arteries

One of Kenya’s main traffic arteries, the Nairobi-Nakuru-Kisumu route, is a case study of how creative police officers have become in soliciting bribes.

Our spot check shows there are about 23 police checks from Nairobi to Kisumu, manned by mean officers who have a secret list of all matatus plying their respective routes.

From Nairobi to Nakuru, a driver is stopped about eight times. Freedom at each stop costs at least Sh50 making a cumulative total of Sh400 per trip. However, patrol cars routinely stop vehicles and their rates are Sh100.

Douglas Otieno, a 56-year-old driver with 26 years experience, says on a three-anda-half-hour journey from Nakuru to Kisumu, he is forced to part with at least Sh500. “If I do not find the highway patrol unit, I am very lucky. Any encounter with them leaves me Sh100 poorer. They do not take anything less. If you run away and they catch up with you, the ‘fine’ is Sh1,000,” Otieno says.

Wanjiru Mwangi, a regular traveller along the Kisumu –Busia highway describes the route as one of the most heavily policed. It has over ten checkpoints where a matatu must pay Sh50 per trip for safe passage.

The situation is not any different along the Nakuru-Nyeri route.

Along Thika Road, terror from police has made matatu drivers device ingenious ways to evade them.

Matatu migration

Each day more than 50 matatus migrate from Thika Road to safer routes along Mombasa Road and Machakos, only to return to their bases under the cover of darkness.

“Working on Thika Road is traumatising. I have fled from the area since I cannot afford the bribes required everyday. I only return at night when the police have left,” Fredrick Njuguna says.

Wachira Nderitu, the chairman of a Thika Road Sacco said that on average, each of the 500 vehicles owned by their members pays a minimum of Sh150 per trip.

Matatu organisations have coined different names to account for the money spent on keeping the traffic police on the road happy. While some write off the expense as ‘maboys’, the refined record it as a ‘road expense’.

“Our sacco has two new matatus. Since we pay the police daily we classify this expenditure as ‘operation expense’. Earlier we simply called it ‘police’ but auditors were not happy,” Jim Munga, a matatu association official explains.

In just one year, the police in three police checks along Thika Road have raked in Sh352,880 from the two vehicles. This expenditure pales in comparison with the Sh130,000 spent on tyres.

Organised group

The chairman of Matatu Welfare Association, Dickson Mbugua, estimated that traffic police have been raking in Sh1.08 billion each year from collecting at least Sh200 from each of the 45,000 public service vehicles for 25 days per month in a year.

The figure, however, may be higher because the Kenya Revenue Authority’s books show there are over 55,000 public service vehicles.

In most of Kenya’s urban areas, police have expanded their revenue base by reining in on jalopies, which offer services within estates or city suburbs but are so old they cannot pass inspection.

“There are about 230 jalopies in Nyeri town, which do not have licences. They are not roadworthy and only operate under the patronage of the traffic police. Each pays Sh150 daily to police,” Peter Mwangi, a local operator says.

This shows that traffic police officers in Nyeri get about Sh185,700 per month from the vehicles. This translates into Sh9,285 per month per car.

The operators have been organised in groups, which have representatives who collect money every morning before 10am and submit it to one of the police officers on behalf of his colleagues.

The contributions are matched against a list of the vehicles and defaulters are heavily punished. In Nyahururu, vehicles plying short distance are classified in six groups and assigned names of animals.

The names used are lion, elephant, zebra, giraffe, hippo, cat, leopard and hyena. Each group has its own leader. This person collects money and submits it to police.

“It is the work of the chairman to make sure police receive their money before 8am. To beat this deadline, the chairman uses his own money and we refund him before 10am. Every time you pass a traffic police officer, you have to double flash as an indication you have paid,” Patrick Kaba, a driver, explains.

Two to tango

Deputy Police Spokesperson, Owino Wahong’o admitted that there is corruption in the Traffic Department. “I cannot deny that there is corruption. Some of our officers are receiving bribes,” he said.

But he was quick to blame the motorists for offering bribes. “If the police were starved of the money, they would stop demanding,” he said.

“It takes two to tango. We have incidents where the public initiates transfer of traffic police officers not keen to receive bribes,” Wahongo added.

He says as a result of easy access to money, police officers in other departments are always fighting to be redeployed to Traffic Department.

He said there are cases where officers perceived to be overzealous in observing the law are punished and at times even run over by vehicles for refusing to accept bribes.

“We should stop giving bribes and brave being taken to court. This is the only way to stop the vice,” Wahong’o says.