SATURDAY JUNE 4 2016 By WACHIRA MWANGI
The commissioners said it was clear some senior and junior officers were receiving huge sums of money in bribes.
National Police Service commissioner Ronald Musengi during the vetting of Traffic Police staff at Kenya School of Government in Mombasa on June 3, 2016. He said they were shocked by the rot within the department. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Speaking at the close of a two-week vetting of traffic police officers at the Coast, the commissioners said they were shocked by the rot within the department with some business people colluding with the officers to extort millions from the public, especially motorists.
Commissioners Ronald Musengi and Murshid Mohamed said it was clear some senior and junior officers were receiving huge sums of money in bribes from business people adversely mentioned during the vetting of 238 officers at the Kenya School of Government in Mombasa, which started on May 24.
Names of the business people, including one who owns a vehicle towing truck, popped up in the officers’ M-Pesa transactions showing huge sums of money they constantly received from him.
“How much money do these business people make to be able to share with corrupt police officers?’’ Commissioner Mohamed asked the panel, which included Coast Regional Police Commander Francis Wanjohi.
“How much do they charge the motorists for them to make profit from their business and still spare something for the officers?” Mr Murshid asked of the vehicle towing service providers.
Notoriously mentioned was Mr Hafidh Khamis of Hafidh Auto Garage and Breakdown, with Commissioner Murshid describing him as the fulcrum of the network that gives police officers “lunch”.
Others mentioned included Mr Hatibu Abdalla and Mr Hafidh Salim Awadh, who is the son of Mr Khamis.
The commission noted that there is only one breakdown service provider, who is said to be a friend of police officers from Changamwe, Makupa, Nyali and Bamburi stations and the dog section.
In the last week of vetting, the commissioners learnt that the officers were encouraged by tokens of appreciation from the businessmen to always make calls to them in case there is an accident or a need to tow a vehicle to a police station.
On Friday, constable Pius Njiru Njue, who is currently in Karen, Nairobi, had a hard time convincing commissioners Musengi and Mohamed about money deposits in his M-Pesa account.
CASH HANDOUTS
The officer also failed to explain how he made Sh2 million annually from his car wash business.
Mr Hafidh was found to have sent him Sh48,025 in 17 instalments.
Mr Njue said his clients include Mr Hafidh Khamis, who frequently took his truck engines for washing at his premises. “At times he brought engines of his lorries for washing at my Changamwe premises and he would pay me through M-Pesa,” Mr Njue said
He added that part of the money sent to him were tokens of appreciation for doing business with him — calling him whenever there were accidents.
Mr Njue was also found to have received Sh28,500 eight times from another breakdown service provider and could not explain why.
At the same time, Mr Awadh sent him Sh17,000 in three instalments.
“It is not a coincident that you have received money from two towing service companies. We know more than you think,” Commissioner Musengi told the officer.
The commission will continue vetting officers in the Traffic Department in Nyanza and western Kenya next week.
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