Police officer 'pushes' car into ditch in bribe demand drama

Toyota Probox car

The Toyota Probox car which was on January, 30, 2022 damaged after a traffic police officer pushed it into a ditch at a roadblock near Tenwek bridge in Bomet in a dramatic incident sparked by an alleged bribe demand.

Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group

Traffic police in Bomet County are under scrutiny after one of them grabbed keys from a driver of a Toyota Probox car and reversed it into a ditch, in a dramatic incident sparked by an alleged bribe demand.

As a result, a female pedestrian was injured in the leg after she was knocked down by the vehicle. She was rushed to hospital by Good Samaritans.

The officers flagged down the vehicle at a roadblock at the Tenwek bridge on the Silibwet-Merigi–Kiptagich road in Bomet Central sub-county on Sunday.

“When the driver slowed down and parked the vehicle by the roadside, one of the police officers … grabbed the keys from the driver without offering any explanation,” said Mr Ezekiel Terer, who was a passenger in the vehicle.

Mr Terer told the Nation at the scene that the vehicle had been hired by a family from Keringet in Kuresoi South to take them to Bomet to visit a sick relative.

Drama as police officer forcibly reverses a motorist's car into a ditch

Witnesses said four passengers were in the vehicle while two officers were at the roadblock.

Daily police charge

The public helped to push the car from the ditch to the tarmac, even as the officers summoned a breakdown vehicle to tow it to the local police station.

It is claimed that the officer’s drastic action was prompted by an incident the previous day, when the driver failed to pay a daily charge imposed by the police.

Drivers of matatus and Toyota Proboxes, which are popular among travellers in the region, claim that they pay Sh200 daily to the officers at various roadblocks, with or without any traffic offences.

In the Sunday incident, when the tow-truck arrived, irate residents blocked it from taking away the car, whose front left side was damaged.

“The attempt to tow the vehicle was meant to divert attention from the crime committed by the officer and turn the heat on the driver. We could not allow that to happen when it was very clear who was in the wrong,” said Mr Kevin Korir, a resident.

Five police officers in a GK vehicle branded with National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) colours drove to the scene and tried to calm the irate residents.

A short time later, two police officers, the driver and a passenger left the scene in the damaged vehicle, with the police car ahead and the breakdown truck following.

Repair damaged vehicle

“It is true, the incident occurred and the officers in question agreed to repair the damaged vehicle at a local garage,” a senior police officer told the Nation, asking not to be named as the matter was too sensitive for an officer of his rank to speak about it to the media.

County Police Commander Naomi Ichami and Bomet Central Sub-County Police Commander Omari Imamai were unavailable for comment at publication time.

Travellers and residents accused the police officers at the roadblock of frequently harassing them demanding bribes from private and public service vehicles in the past one year.

“The roadblock is a major cash cow for the police department, with motor vehicle, motorcycle and tractor owners who fail to part with money – ranging from Sh50 to Sh2,000 – threatened by the officers,” said Ms Beatrice Chepngetich, a motorist.

Residents have repeatedly petitioned for the removal of the roadblock, erected on a descending and hilly part of the road near a bridge, saying it poses a risk to motorists.