NAIROBI,Kenya Dec 24-The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested two traffic police officers attached to the Diani Traffic Base for allegedly soliciting bribes from motorists along the Likoni-Lungalunga road.
The arrest follows an EACC investigation triggered by multiple complaints from motorists and members of the public over rampant extortion by the officers.
During the operation, Police Constables Agnes Longoet and Alphanus Anayo were reportedly caught demanding bribes from drivers, often without conducting any vehicle checks or enforcing traffic regulations.
“This operation is part of our ongoing crackdown on bribery on major roads during the festive season. We are scaling up intelligence gathering and surveillance to ensure public services operate with integrity,”the EACC stated.
Bribery by traffic officers along major highways has long been a concern in Kenya, with motorists frequently reporting demands for cash in exchange for avoiding penalties.
The Likoni-Lungalunga route, a key coastal road linking Mombasa to Kwale County, has been cited in numerous complaints over the years.
The EACC’s intensified operations during festive seasons aim to curb such practices, particularly as traffic and public interactions increase, exposing drivers to heightened risks of extortion.
Last week, The government has launched a nationwide traffic crackdown as part of enhanced security and safety measures during the festive season, targeting both road accidents and corruption along major highways.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen stated that the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), in collaboration with the Traffic Police Department, has initiated a coordinated operation focusing on high-risk corridors and major urban routes.
The crackdown is in line with resolutions of the National Council on the Administration of Justice and involves the deployment of officers from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to monitor enforcement and deter bribery.
EACC officials have warned motorists against offering bribes to evade traffic laws, stressing that such practices put lives at risk. Speaking in Makueni County, EACC Regional Director for Western Kenya Eric Ngumbi urged drivers to take responsibility for passenger safety.
“There is no need to overload vehicles, break traffic rules, and then offer bribes to evade the law, only to put lives at risk. This habit of driving people to their deaths must stop.”
Ngumbi further noted that the commission will conduct nationwide surveillance to apprehend both motorists and traffic officers involved in bribery. He also called on the public to actively promote road safety by reporting reckless driving.
“Even as agencies work to reduce accidents, members of the public have a critical role to play. Do not allow a driver who is driving dangerously to continue the journey,” he said.
The warning coincides with Chief Justice Martha Koome’s announcement that mobile courts will be deployed on major highways, working with the National Police Service, NTSA, and EACC to enforce traffic laws through arrests and instant prosecutions during the holiday season.
Authorities emphasize that these combined measures aim to reduce the rising number of road accidents, which have claimed thousands of lives across the country in recent months.
