It's common knowledge that the police always takes the top honors year in, year out in the Transparency International report and to be more precise, the Traffic Department.

In my observation and opinion, this achievement would not be possible without the Judiciary.

I visited the Kibera Law courts yesterday as a mwananchi and went straight to the traffic offenses court to observe. Now, the accused persons were asked to report at 8am, the doors open at 9am, proceedings started at 9.30am then the magistrate took a break at 9.45am??? and resumed at 10.30am. (It's clear why there are such huge back-logs).

Now, within an hour, the traffic offenses were done. Because everybody pleads guilty, whether they are or otherwise because the alternative is worse. Then the magistrate orders that they pay fines, the average being Kshs. 12,000 or the Kshs 50,000 a young man was fined because one of his break-lights was not functioning. Not even one person escaped the hefty fine despite giving reasonable explanations, and mark you, the accused are most likely the good apples who opted not to part with some masala. Isn't it therefore obvious why the traffic department take the TI cake?

In advanced countries, you never find some random cop or a pride of cops standing by the roadsides stopping cars randomly (and especially vehicles with a single occupant for obvious reasons), they use their intelligence dept. and patrol vehicles to flag down suspected vehicles. This is how it and this would curb this menace if there's deliberate will.

Anyway, we shared our observation with relevant bodies and journalists so they can have their day in court and get to observe for themselves and make their own conclusions.

Other than looking for minor mistakes on your car so that they can harass you while soliciting for bribes and collecting revenue from public service vehicles, what other work do they do?. I swore to NEVER EVER stop to traffic cops on highways unless they are in a patrol car/bike or are manning a roadblock. Afterall, what would they do?. Run after the car?

We're always talking of ending corruption yet the super-highway of corruption remains wide open and everyone knows it.

This is our government way of generating income well designed!!😒

This is great stuff. Hope someone can try and connect the dots. If the magistrate started being reasonable by pardoning some offenders, warning others and giving minimum fines, then the number of good guys who want to stay on the straight and narrow increases. And the corruption kitty reduces. Remember what happened to the instant fines ?

Personally am convinced for the cartel to thrive, the traffic court magistrates must be on the take as well.

One more thing, the guy on the roads is only collecting bribes to send upwards. And it goes all the way up.