Kenyan Traffic Officers to be Substituted by High-Tech CCTV & IPOA Guardians- Police Oversight Bill Proposes
If a new bill is enacted, Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) and officers affiliated with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) will take over the duties of all traffic officers on Kenyan roads.
The 2023 Bribery (Amendment) Bill, championed by Barango Obadiah, Member of Parliament for Bomachoge Borabu, aims to modify the Bribery Act by implementing stringent measures to address and mitigate bribery activities on the roads.
In the latest proposal, police officers’ uniforms will be specially designed without pockets to reduce the chances of corruption.
As per MP Obadiah, this recent initiative is anticipated to enhance public confidence and reduce the likelihood of traffic officers accepting bribes from drivers.
Additionally, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will be set up in locations where traffic officers are stationed to remove the need for the physical presence of law enforcement personnel on the roads.
To achieve this goal, the lawmaker suggested the zoning of all specified traffic stations to maximize deployment and improve overall efficiency.
The proposed legislation also aims to create a centralized command center involving multiple agencies, where surveillance camera recordings of various locations will be archived.
The hub will serve as a central point for synchronized reactions, enhancing overall efficiency in the fight against corruption.
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These facilities will be supervised by IPOA officers rather than traffic police, ensuring impartial monitoring.
During the presentation of the bill to the Budget and Appropriation Committee on Thursday, MP Obadiah clarified that an efficient strategy to combat bribery involves reducing or eliminating direct contact between traffic officers and drivers.
“We need to remove the human interaction with motorists on our roads which has resulted in open bribery. The CCTVs will replace police officers in the designated traffic areas,” MP Obadiah stated.
“Police officers who will be stationed in the designated areas to man the CCTV command centers in eight regions of the country will not be allowed to move outside of the designated area,” he added.
The latest data from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) revealed that police officers accept daily bribes ranging from Ksh972 to Ksh15,396.
According to the data, traffic officers are at the forefront of receiving bribes upon the pretense of offering service to Kenyans.
Kenyan Traffic Officers to be Substituted by High-Tech CCTV & IPOA Guardians- Police Oversight Bill Proposes
