- Further, Mbarak wants traffic police officers to be restrained from carrying firearms unless it is necessary for their safety.
- He stated that the Commission is in communication with the office of the Inspector General on the issue.
Image: FILE
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on Thursday arrested three traffic police officers over bribery along Mai Mahiu road.
Addressing the media at the Integrity Centre on Thursday, EACC CEO Twalib Mbarak said the Commission's officers moved in to arrest officers, who were openly receiving bribes from motorists, but one managed to escape.
The officer tried to fire at them obstructing his arrest.
"He was armed and tried to fire at our officers. Fortunately, there were no injuries, but he managed to escape," Mbarak said.
The EACC boss said they are yet to draft charges against the arrested police officers, as they have to analyse the evidence.
"Normally we would charge them for taking bribes, and for that one policeman who shot and disappeared, we would charge him for threatening the life of staff," he said.
Further, Mbarak wants traffic police officers to be restrained from carrying firearms unless it is necessary for their safety.
He stated that the Commission is in communication with the office of the Inspector General on the issue.
"Our position as the EACC in coordination with the office of the Inspector General, we are in communication with the IG and he supports our operations, is that traffic policemen and policewomen should never be armed unless it is extremely necessary for their own safety," he said.
Mbarak said the issue of major highways having armed traffic cops is meant to scare Integrity and Anti-Corruption officers from fulfilling their operations.
Noting that the festive season is approaching and it is 'festive' for traffic cops seeking to be bribed, Mbarak said the Commission has heightened its operations.
He added that they have already published notorious sections where police erect roadblocks to acquire bribes.
Mbarak regretted that traffic cops have cultivated the culture of demanding bribes, and publicly nonetheless, noting that this is an embarrassing thing.
At the same time, he thanked the Judiciary for delivering a judgement where a DCI officer will serve five years in jail or pay a Sh1.9 million fine.
Julius Oguma was jailed for receiving Sh200,000 from a Chinese investor so as to drop charges against his wife, in Kabete in 2018.
Charles Macharia, another officer attached with DCI was also jailed for obstructing Oguma's arrest by EACC officers.
He will serve a 12 month imprisonment or pay a fine of Sh400,000.