Frankly speaking, all traffic police should be fired if Kenya wants to win war on corruption

Joseph Boinnet, the Inspector-General of Police, in Nairobi on February 26, 2016. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • We witness corruption on our roads on a daily basis as we go about our business.

  • The cumulative effect of watching helplessly is to make us despair and believe that corruption is inevitable, acceptable and here to stay.

  • Something is needed to break this despair and cynicism.

The National Police Service Commission (NPSC) spent several months vetting traffic police officers. The exercise was a circus as the NPSC discovered that the officers had massive bank and M-Pesa accounts but only offered ridiculous and incredible explanations as to the source of their wealth. Kenyans knew how lucrative the traffic police section was yet most were shocked by the extent of their loot.

Corruption among the traffic police is an organised hierarchical affair with daily dues collected, remitted and distributed among the officers of rank. Police Spokesman Charles Owino speaks of a few rotten apples in the service but in the traffic section one would be hard put to find a few decent officers. To sack a handful of senior officers will not make a difference as the vice will just mutate like a virus and continue. Something more drastic is needed.

Frankly speaking, the entire traffic police should be sent home and start afresh if Kenya wants to win the war on corruption. Traffic police are the most common and visible aspect of corruption. We witness corruption on our roads on a daily basis as we go about our business. The cumulative effect of watching helplessly is to make us despair and believe that corruption is inevitable, acceptable and here to stay. Something is needed to break that despair and cynicism.

ADD LITTLE

Traffic police as currently constituted add very little to safety or welfare on our roads, anyhow. So a few months of disruption as a new unit is recruited, trained and deployed is something that most of us would patiently endure. President Uhuru Kenyatta appears frustrated in eliminating corruption. He should study how Georgia went from being the most corrupt country on the planet to being No. 39 in good governance in 10 years now ahead of Brazil, Spain and Thailand.

Mr Mihail Saakhashvili came to power in 2004 in a landslide election victory and with a reform agenda. Realising he had a small window of opportunity to change things around, he started quickly with the traffic police. Sixteen thousand traffic police were retired instantly as he started afresh. Immediately public perceptions changed and the four million Georgians started believing that corruption could be fought. The purge spread to regular police, to ministries and to local government. Tens of thousands were made redundant but change was visible. Governance became digitalised and according to the BBC, when middlemen were eliminated revenue increased twelve fold.

STRONG MANDATE

Why not Kenya? First requirement is a strong public mandate. Put another way, are we so sick and tired of corruption that we will support radical change? Secondly, does Mr Kenyatta have the courage to fire anybody from the lowest public servant to his deputy if involved in corruption? Can we imagine living in a normal, decent law abiding society? Can we endure hardship and inconvenience for the sake of the long term common good?

Difficult questions for Mr Kenyatta and the citizens. We have reached the point where we acknowledge that radical surgery is needed. Piecemeal reforms are a waste of resources and time. We are tired of talking. Take the bull by the horns, Mr Kenyatta and show the way.

 

Twitter: @GabrielDolan1