•Area commanders have been ordered to ensure that no roadblocks are erected without a purpose.
•Citizens seem to delight in the removal of roadblocks because they have suffered at the hands of the traffic police.
Traffic police have been warned against erecting roadblocks, following a directive issued from the office of Inspector General of Police, Hillary Mutyambai.
This comes after road users complained that traffic checkpoints are associated with bribe collection and holding vehicles for long hours causing frustration.
Area commanders have been ordered to ensure that no roadblocks are erected without a purpose.
The checkpoints and roadblocks shall only be mounted with the authority of the regional commanders and must be justified and rationalized.
During the Covid-19 season, roadblocks were erected on roads to ban the movement of people from towns to rural areas or vice versa to cub the spread of the virus and enforce curfew orders.
However, things now seem different as citizens seem to delight in the removal of roadblocks because they have suffered at the hands of the traffic police.
Drivers often complain that they face harassment from the police whenever they fail to give bribes so that they can proceed with their journey.
Roadblocks have always been associated with causing traffic but this is not the case.
Sometimes, they are essential as they help in intercepting illegal activities.
It is at the checking point where the driver’s driving license is verified, vehicle registration number verification and emergency checkpoints.
They have also been used to remove drunk drivers from the road.
In Lamu, roadblocks are essential in managing security escorts because the area is under security operation.
Therefore, for the safety of passengers, roadblocks should not be removed from roads, but rather should be regulated.
Maasai Mara University
Edited by Kiilu Damaris