We Will Not Take Bribes, Thika Traffic Police Warn Bribe Givers Of Consequent Arrests!

Thika Traffic Base Commander Amos Ambasa has warned anyone found bribing or attempting to bribe his officers that stern action will be taken against them as this was tantamount to subverting law and order.  He particularly singled out matatu drivers who were fond of overlapping especially during rush hour with intent to beat traffic jams.

“I want to warn overlappers especially the matatu drivers who are notorious for jumping the queue and bribing their way out that we will arrest you and take you to court. Overlappers are the main cause of the traffic snarl-ups which have become a nightmare for Thika residents. We are working out a way to end this vice,” said Ambasa.

Speaking during the Thika Law Courts Open Day, Ambasa also blamed the members of the public for condoning this vice while at the same time blaming the police for poor management of traffic. He appealed to them to assist the officers as they endeavoured to reduce the traffic congestion in the town. He said that they had arrested so many drivers and arraigned them in court and will continue doing so until they instilled discipline among the road users.

“As passengers we should tell the drivers to stop overlapping as it increase traffic congestion, but what do we do? W applaud when the driver overlaps and get angry at my police officers when they arrest such matatu drivers and requested you to alight,” he said.

He pointed out that another major cause of gridlocks was that Thika Town was originally designed for a small population but the influx in population, especially after the completion of the Thika Superhighway, led to the traffic nightmare.   

“Nowadays, it has become the norm that in a family of five or ten members everyone drives. This has led to the overwhelming of our only two outlets, the Thika-Garissa Road and The one near Blue Posts Hotel which is only one lane and cannot be used by heavy vehicles. We need everyone to observe the traffic rules so that we can be able to control traffic smoothly,” he advised.

Ambasa at the same time called on the members of public to be on the forefront in fighting corruption on our roads as bribing the police for traffic offences only aggravated the problem.

“If you have been caught breaking the law, just allow the law take its course. Why don’t want to go to the courts and be heard? Instead of bribing the police, pay the fines in court and get a receipt for that. In that way, you are assisting the nation in revenue collection that in turn helps the government in giving services to you instead the money benefiting an individual policeman who will only worsen the situation for others,” advised Ambasa.

Referring to a recent Infotrac poll that showed the police force as the most corrupt at 89%, Ambasa said that the tread would go down to say 50% if the public said no to corruption by resisting to bribe the police officers.

While responding to matatu operators who complained of their vehicles being arrested for allegations of over speeding, the police boss  appealed to the public transport operators to take their fleet management equipment to the vehicle inspection unit so that they can be calibrated to the required standards.

The matatu operators had raised concern that every time they encountered the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) officers, the were accused of over-speeding with their speedometer always reading 86 Kilometer Per Hour (KPH)

The matatu operators argued that they also had their fleet management equipment and whenever they compared their recorded speed at the time of the arrest, theirs always indicated a speed lower than the one by NTSA.

“Our speed guns are calibrated to the standards which is done on a yearly basis. Yours aren’t and may not be calibrated to our standards. Maybe their limit is 75 KPH and that is why there are discrepancies,” explained Ambasa.