Traffic police officers accost ‘Standard’ journalists

By STANDARD TEAM

The Standard crew covering an investigative story on traffic officers collecting bribes along Nakuru-Eldama Ravine road were accosted by policemen.

The team was secretly recording the traffic officers collecting bribes from motorists at Gioto dump site roadblock when they were accosted.

“We have spotted them and they are trying to escape. They are journalists,” shouted one of the officers through their communication gadget as he gave out the number plate of our vehicle. A private vehicle KBN 024 G with plain clothe officers arrived at the scene and pursued the journalists, but later lost track of our team.

However, when the reporters returned using a different vehicle the traffic officers had left the scene.

Last weekend, traffic police officers from Nakuru impounded more than 100 vehicles plying the route after The Standard published an exclusive story on corruption along the road.

Following our expose, the police officers now man road block in two groups. There are those in uniform manning the road while collecting bribes and others in plain clothes who stay away from the public eye and whose role is to alert those in uniform of any suspicious people in the surrounding.

Demand bribes

The officers in plain clothes monitor any suspicious vehicles stopping near the uniformed colleagues.

Following the publication of the story Nakuru traffic base Commandant Richard Leporuya and two plain clothes officers visited our officers situated at Merica Hotel, Nakuru and defended his officers of any wrong doing.

Although during a telephone interview he acknowledged the existence of corruption tendencies among traffic police officers who reportedly demand bribes from motorists at roadblocks.

Matatu operators had accused senior officers from Nakuru Police Traffic Department of allegedly turning a blind eye on their corrupt colleagues.