Caught in Act: Koskei narrates time when a traffic cop asked for bribe

Head of public service Felix Koskei recounted during a meeting of police heads in Nairobi an incident in which he was once forced to part with Sh1,000.

Koskei who was addressing the police commanders said he was driving himself within Nairobi when a traffic cop patrolling in a motorcycle flagged him down.

The officer, he explained, demanded the money as a bribe for the offense of failing to stop; otherwise, charges would be preferred against him."

"Nyinyi ndiyo watu huwa mnatusumbua sana...tunaenda Station Kilimani (You are the people who bother us a lot...we are going to Station Kilimani)," the officer according to the Chief of staff quipped.

"But, he really begged when he realized I am a senior officer, alisema ilikuwa tu baridi," Koskei said amidst laughter from the police chiefs attending the consultative forum on ‘Zero Tolerance to Corruption’ at the Kenya School of Government.

Describing how deep-rooted the vice is within the service, he narrated that despite apologizing and identifying himself, the officer insisted on having the money.

"I told him I am so and so akasema mimi sikuwa nataka hiyo nilikuwa nasema baridi ni mingi, nilikuwa nakujua lakini unaona hii bikibiki baridi ni mingi sana (It's not bribe that I wanted, I was saying it is cold, I knew you but you see this motobike, the cold is too much,," he said.

He, however, said he agreed to fork out the money while warning him of dismissal from service over the act.

While calling for an end to such cases, Koskei said it has continued to destroy the image of the service.

"Nilimwambia kama ni hivyo chukua hii elfu moja lakini nitakufuta kazi," he added.

Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, Inspector General of police Japhet Koome alongside his deputies, Director DCI Mohamed Amin and members of the National police service commission led by its chair Eliud Kinuthia attended the meeting.

Officials from the Independent police oversight authority (IPOA) were also present.

The forum had been convened to deliberate on how to tackle corruption within the service.

Koskei said he had been directed by President William Ruto to convene the meeting with a view to agreeing on the best ways o combat it in government and within the service.

He acknowledged that there a few rotten individuals in the police service who have continued to taint the image of the service.

"It is on the account of this that the president has directed me to have this meeting with you and have a candid discussion on how to end corruption and clean the service," said Koskei.

Kenya, he stated, is ranked among the most corrupt countries on the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI).

"In 2022, Kenya scored 32 points out of 100 compared to a score of 30 points in 2021," he said.

The score of 100 means that a country does not have corruption and if it does, the level of corruption is very low.

The scoring placed Kenya at position 123 out of 180 countries and 57th most corrupt country globally.

A 2021 survey by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) show that Police service is the most corrupt at 82. 1 percent followed by registration of Persons at 25.2 percent and Immigration Department (17.3percent).

The most rampant form of corruption is bribery, with the average bribe ranging from Sh972 to Sh15, 396.

The average bribes reported in relation to the Police Service are seeking P3 form which is Sh15,396, bailing arrested persons (Sh13,187), seeking police abstract (Sh12,891) and release of impounded goods (Sh10,576).

The average amount for following up on a case or having it dismissed is Sh10,476, seeking police protection (Sh4,442) while reporting a crime or a statement is Sh2,035.