Roadblocks must go, but get traffic options

What you need to know:

  • Ideally, the police are required to inspect vehicles to ascertain that they are in good condition and that drivers obey the rules.
  • Although Mr Mutyambai gave the directive, some of his officers insist on erecting the roadblocks.

Soon after his appointment last year, Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai directed that police roadblocks be removed as they had become a nuisance.

That was widely applauded as they had been turned into toll stations for collecting bribes from public service vehicles and even private motorists.

The purpose of roadblocks is to enforce traffic regulations and ensure safety on roads. Ideally, the police are required to inspect vehicles to ascertain that they are in good condition and that drivers obey the rules.

But that is not often the case. Vehicles that should not be on the road because they are in poor mechanical condition or driven by unqualified and unlicensed drivers, as well as rogue motorists, are let to pass through so long as they bribe. Not surprisingly, our roads are notorious for tragic crashes.

Although Mr Mutyambai gave the directive, some of his officers insist on erecting the roadblocks.

They were reintroduced when the government imposed curfew and travel restrictions into and out of some counties in April to contain the Covid-19 pandemic. Save for the curfew, the restrictions have since been lifted.

The point of concern is that the roadblocks are not just for controlling movements during the curfew but are channels for extortion. Many motorists flout curfew rules, which is a grave matter, but are hardly arrested.

They simply pay their way out when caught by the police, which is worrisome, as that demonstrates how security officers abet illegalities and exacerbate the threat of coronavirus infection.

What that simply means is that the roadblocks are not of any help. That is why they have to go.

However, it will be a long shot to achieve that due to the vested interests and systemic weaknesses in the police service.

Corruption is an industry across the sectors and is deeply ingrained in the society. Police officers are distributed across the country and not all of them follow the rules; some continue to put up the roadblocks in total disregard of the IG’s orders.

Besides being conduits for corruption, the roadblocks are also an obstacle to business.

Long-distance truckers who transport goods across East Africa have complained on many occasions that not only are they harassed at the roadblocks but they are also forced to give bribes, which increases their business costs.

Since Mr Mutyambai had pronounced himself on the matter, we await action. He has the authority and structures to enforce edicts.

The roadblocks should go and action taken on those who insist on mounting them. But in so doing, there must be alternatives for enforcing traffic roles to eliminate chaos on the roads.