Two traffic police officers in Mombasa and Murang’a counties have been arrested by officers from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in separate operations over allegations of corruption.
The commission said the arrests were carried out on Tuesday, December 30, following multiple complaints from members of the public about widespread bribery by traffic officers, especially during the busy festive period.
In Murang’a County, an officer attached to the Murang’a traffic base was arrested along the Kenol–Murang’a Road. During the operation, EACC officers recovered Ksh6,450 in cash, mostly in Ksh50, Ksh100 and Ksh200 notes, which investigators believe had been collected within a span of about two hours.
The officer was escorted to the commission’s Central Regional Offices for processing before being booked at Nyeri Police Station. He was later released on cash bail pending further investigations.
In another operation, EACC officers arrested a second traffic officer along the Mtwapa–Malindi Road in Mombasa County. The officer was found in possession of Ksh13,750 in Ksh100 notes, believed to be proceeds of bribery.
“Upon arrest, Ksh13,750 in various denominations was recovered from the suspect. He was escorted to the EACC Upper Coast Regional Office in Malindi for statement recording and further processing,” the commission said in a statement.
Earlier in the operation, EACC officers also spotted another traffic officer along the Kerugoya–Kutus Road who was allegedly in the process of collecting a bribe. The officer reportedly fled into nearby bushes, abandoning his official police uniform.
EACC said it remains committed to stamping out corruption within the security services and warned that it will sustain its crackdown, particularly during the festive season when bribery cases tend to rise.
“The EACC continues to scale up intelligence gathering and surveillance targeting essential public services and sectors prone to corruption, with a view to promoting integrity, accountability and professionalism in public service,” the commission said.
The latest arrests come just days after the commission apprehended three other traffic officers, including a police inspector, along the Kisumu–Kisii Road at Sondu on December 27. The officers were accused of soliciting and receiving bribes from motorists without carrying out inspections or enforcing traffic regulations.
According to EACC, the officers were found in possession of cash in various denominations believed to be proceeds of corruption.
