A recent report by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has lifted the lid on petty corruption that is severely damaging the country, perpetrated by traffic police officers.
The sheer magnitude of the problem came to light on February 14, 2025 when EACC operatives arrested Corporal Oscar Serem Biwott, Constable Simon Kiplagat Nyunyutik and Constable Edwin Benedict Mubweka who had collected Sh48,250 in bribes within just two hours in Nairobi and were set to receive more before they were apprehended.
Going by this rate in which just 3 officers collect Sh48,250 in two hours, quick primary school math may reveal how much a given number of corrupt officers working at the same rate may collect in a year.
According to EACC, Sh3Billion is collected in bribes on a monthly basis by a handful of traffic police officers manning Kenyan roads.
It is a thriving enterprise that has evolved over the years at a heavy price with Sh36 billion collected annually, based on this figure provided by EACC.
From as low as Sh50, (with the figure rising on a case-by-case basis) motorists are guaranteed of protection and enjoy the sinister luxury of flouting traffic rules, endangering lives and reigning chaos on Kenyan roads.
This is the cost of impunity that continues to plague Kenya’s public transport sector with the country paying a heavy price and its image dented as foreigners who visit Kenya are exposed to this shameful culture perpetrated by rogue cops.
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Operators who pay the bribe basically obtain a license to be above laws that should be applied and enjoy protection until the next round of payment, akin to renewal of license is due and this could range from between a few hours to a day.
How money changes hands & new ways of collecting bribes
While some try to conceal their collection of bribes with money exchanging hands in a swift handshake that only the keen can notice, others have injected a touch of creativity and 'thinking outside the box' to it.
An operator plying Nairobi-Ruia route via Jogoo Road who was interviewed for this publication confirmed the existence of "collection personnel" along major roads in the city.
These are people known only to the cop and the operators who regularly ply the route and are stationed at various points to collect the money from vehicle operators and remit it to the rogue cops.
This way, noone suspects that a bribe is being paid when money changes hands especially in the digital era with smartphones in the hands of millions: The cop is happy and the operator is guaranteed protection for another day of chaos and lawlessness.
Others do it boldly in broad daylight but are still careful to conceal their identity by wearing facemasks, which in addition to their caps, make it difficult for their faces to be unmasked.
If you live in Nairobi, you must have noticed the high number of police officers seated boarding vehicles as they make their way into the CBD.
Well, vehicle operators say that this is a tactic to in which the officer boards the vehicle in the driver’s cabin where money exchanges hands away from the prying eyes of passengers and disembark shortly afterwards.
What the bribe guarantees
‘Immunity’ to break laws with impunity comes with paying the bribe as those tasked with enforcing the laws and making arrests simply look the other way.
With this, ‘compliant’ matatu operators can stop, pick and drop passengers anywhere including right in the middle of busy roads, further worsening traffic as police officers pretend not to see.
In areas experiencing heavy traffic such as Nairobi, one may overlap (drive outside the road), drive on the wrong lane, carry excess passengers and even drive on pedestrian walkways.
Nothing is off the table once the bribe is paid, including over-speeding driving unroadworthy vehicles and those without valid insurance: All one needs to do is to have the cash ready for next traffic cop that will stop the vehicle or face the law as should be the case.
Police officers simply look the other way, comfortable with their collection for the day and oblivious of the lives they have put at risk by their illegal actions and hungry for the next round of collection.
To a vehicle operator, the Sh50 or 100 dashed to a corrupt traffic cop may not mean much, but in reality the price is heavy in terms of lives lost or injuries sustained in accidents, destruction of crucial infrastructure as motor vehicles take over pedestrian walk ways in a reign of chaos in a delicate struggle that leaves pedestrians and cyclists cheating death with every step.
The price for those who don't bribe
A common saying among operators is that no vehicle is compliant in the eyes of a corrupt traffic cop intent on collecting a bribe; he or she will find a mistake or create one.
Demand and supply is the engine that powers this thriving and sinister enterprise and rogue cops have ensured staedy supply and demand through punitive consequences.
The consequences of ‘not complying’ is well known to public transport operators.
At the instructions of the officer, the vehicle could be towed to a police station at the cost of the owner and remain grounded for days, weeks or even months as the rogue cop drags his feet following due process and hoping that the owner will run out of patience and ‘comply’.
One matatu operator who has experienced this first hand told news desk that it is this loss of income when the vehicle is impounded that makes paying bribes appealing to many.