Anti-Corruption Agency Hunts Traffic Officer Who Fled Bribery Crackdown

MACHAKOS COUNTY – The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has launched a manhunt for a traffic police officer who escaped arrest during an anti-graft operation targeting law enforcement personnel allegedly collecting illegal payments from motorists.

The officer is among four traffic personnel who were under surveillance following an intelligence-led operation along the Nairobi-Mombasa Highway near Machakos Junction. Three of his colleagues attached to Kyumbi Traffic Police Base were successfully apprehended on allegations of demanding and accepting bribes at a roadblock.

The detained officers, comprising two corporals and one constable, were transported to the EACC Lower Eastern Regional Office in Machakos for processing and statement recording.

Ongoing Anti-Corruption Drive

The commission described Tuesday’s operation as part of its sustained efforts to combat graft within law enforcement agencies and enhance integrity, accountability, and professional standards in public service.

EACC has urged citizens and law enforcement officials to report incidents of bribery or corrupt conduct through appropriate channels.

According to investigators, the arrested officers allegedly demanded illegal payments from drivers traveling through the Kyumbi area, a major transit point on the busy highway.

Recent Corruption Cases

On December 30 last year, EACC arrested two traffic officers in Mombasa and Murang’a County following separate corruption complaints from the public regarding widespread bribery by traffic personnel.

The Murang’a-based officer was apprehended along the Kenol-Murang’a Road. Commission officers recovered Ksh6,450 in various denominations of Ksh50, 100, and 200, believed to have been collected within a two-hour period.

During the same operation, investigators caught another officer in the act of collecting bribes along the Kerugoya-Kutus Road. However, the officer fled into nearby bushes, abandoning official police uniform.

The Mombasa officer was arrested along the Mtwapa-Malindi Road with Ksh13,750 in Ksh100 notes, suspected to be corruption proceeds.

Pattern of Enforcement

The latest crackdown follows the December arrest of three traffic officers, including a police inspector, along the Kisumu-Kisii Highway at Sondu for allegedly demanding bribes from motorists.

According to EACC, the three officers were collecting payments from drivers without conducting vehicle inspections or enforcing any traffic regulations.

The commission continues to intensify operations against corruption in the traffic police service as public complaints about highway bribery persist.