Bomachoge Borabu MP Obadiah Barongo has proposed a Bill, that if passed, will see police officers wear uniforms without pockets to curb corruption.
The Bribery Amendment Bill, now before the National Assembly Administration and Security Committee, also proposes the installation of CCTV cameras to monitor the behaviour of traffic police officers.
The Bill also seeks to create a visual record of interactions between law enforcement officers and the public.
If it sails through, the Bill will also sanction the deployment of cameras on roads, intensifying policing and enhancing accountability.
The Bill seeks to amend the Bribery Act, 2016 by inserting a new section 10(A) highlighting anti-bribery measures for the National Police Service.
“These measures include coordination of CCTV cameras in all areas where traffic police are situated, taking action against an officer accepting a bribe in the designated area, commissioning police uniforms that have no pockets and ensuring the CCTV cameras at designated traffic areas are maintained,” Barongo said on Tuesday, April 16, 2024.
The Bill also seeks to establish eight multi-agency command centres where CCTV footage from designated areas will be stored. The centres will be manned by officers nominated by the National Police Service (NPS) and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).
An analysis by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) shows that it will cost about Ksh8 billion to install CCTV cameras in all designated traffic management areas across the country.
Police taking bribes
This comes days after a police officer was filmed in Nairobi taking bribes from matatus, leading to his demotion.
The officer, identified as Haron Mwangi, attached to the Traffic Unit within Buruburu police station, was suspended from the unit and proceedings for his dismissal started.
“Please be informed that the National Police Service has positively identified the Traffic Police Officer seen in the video clip circulating on social media, while allegedly collecting bribes from public service vehicles. The Officer, No. 63151 PC Haron Mwangi, attached to Traffic within Buruburu Police Station has been suspended from Traffic Police Unit with immediate effect, and proceedings for his dismissal are ongoing,” NPS stated.
“The National Police Service takes this opportunity to commend members of public and Members of the Press for their continued collaboration with NPS in the fight against corruption.”
Another police officer was arrested by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for extorting a bribe.
EACC indicated that its officers at the Central Regional Office in Nyeri arrested the suspect identified as Luke Nyasangah.
The anti-graft agency added that Nyasangah is a DCI Officer based at Ngano Police Station in Nyandaraua County.
EACC explained that they apprehended the DCI Officer after he asked for a Ksh10,000 bribe from a local who needed assistance to recover Ksh115,000 lost through M-Pesa fraud.
“The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), through its Central Regional Office in Nyeri, on Wednesday morning arrested Luke Nyasangah, a DCI Officer based at Ngano Police Station, Nyandaraua County, for demanding Kes. 10,000 bribe from a local resident who had lost Kes, 115,000 in Mpesa to fraudsters, and needed police assistance to recover the funds,” EACC said in a statement.
The anti-graft agency said the DCI officer told the victim of the M-Pesa fraud that the bribe was necessary to facilitate the tracking of the fraudsters.
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