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.

The Judiciary is the dirtiest department in Kenya, i have been to courts as a transport guy for several years in the past, and it is just dirty, dirty, all those fines some how end up being misreported and the magistrates just like the cops, pocket a small percentage and transmit the bulk upward because everybody knows how the system works! Everyone urgently needs to build a big "ngorofa" so people can see how intelligent they are and run for mpig!

I doubt anyone would be any different and last.

The problem is the black man,find out! better a stone can be used to make posho!

All over the world, the police collude with the politicians and magistrates to tax people...

Traffic offences are used as a form of tax collection mechanism in some towns in the US...You will find that near the end of the month, the number of traffic tickets issued rises exponentially.

The only difference is that in Kenya, the money goes to politicians pockets..Not even the cop who's risking his career and annoying God.

It is the politician in Kenya who comes up with laws charging 30k for overlapping. He knows exactly what he's doing. Pay the bribe..That's what he's telling the citizen.

The judge has 100 cases to go through in a day..You can understand them if they don't want to deal with 100 appeals from loyal Kenyans.

Yes, the system was corrupted. The moment the law was created in parliament to fine those without seat belts 10k cash money.

I'd rather honga than pay the 10k.

And what do you vote in?