Cash suspected to be bribes was recovered from the officers at the time of arrest.The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested three traffic police officers attached to Sondu police station in the latest operation targeting alleged bribery on Kenyan roads, barely days after a similar arrest of two officers along the Likoni–Lungalunga Road.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the commission said the three officers were arrested following a targeted surveillance operation along the busy Kisumu–Kisii Highway at Sondu after receiving multiple complaints from motorists and members of the public.
“The commission received multiple complaints from motorists and members of the public regarding persistent extortion by traffic officers operating along the highway,” the commission said.
According to the EACC, investigators found the officers actively soliciting and demanding bribes from motorists, in some cases without carrying out any vehicle inspections or enforcing traffic regulations.
“During the operation, the suspects were found actively soliciting and demanding bribes from road users, often without conducting any vehicle inspections or enforcing traffic regulations,” the statement said.
The commission added that cash linked to the operation was recovered from the officers at the time of arrest.
They were later processed at the EACC Central Nyanza Regional Office in Kisumu before being booked at the Kisumu Railways and Ports police station pending further investigations.
The arrests come days after the commission arrested two other traffic police officers on December 24 along the Likoni–Lungalunga Road in the Coast region over similar allegations.
In that earlier operation, the EACC said it had mounted investigations after receiving numerous complaints from motorists alleging rampant extortion by traffic officers operating along the road.
The suspects were taken to the EACC Lower Coast Regional Office in Mombasa for statement recording and further processing.
The commission said the two operations form part of an ongoing nationwide crackdown on bribery and corruption on major roads, particularly during the festive season when traffic volumes increase significantly. “
The commission noted that it is scaling up intelligence gathering and surveillance targeting essential public services and sectors prone to corruption.
The EACC reiterated its commitment to enforcing anti-corruption laws and promoting integrity and accountability within the public service, warning that officers found engaging in corrupt practices would face the full force of the law.
The commission further urged members of the public to report incidents of corruption through its established reporting channels, saying public cooperation remains critical in the fight against graft.
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