Bullying Kenyans (my version of events with the Kenyan police)

Most people in Kenya comment on how  police men and women bully ordinary Kenyans, but this bullying is overseen due to the fact that there pay is terrible and they have no other option but to bully people so as to get there daily bread. But these goes way deeper than this! If you have watched the movie 'Nairobi half life' you have a rough idea, but really it has been overly sugar coated. My experience in a police station on the 22/4/2014 simply showed me how we Kenyans cant fight for our rights. What i have written is my account on what i saw and heard on the given day.


On the 22/April/2014 a Tuesday, at exactly 11:15, my mother(who was driving) and I were in traffic opposite the DOD in Hurlinghan. As we werehaving a conversation about the past weekend a traffic cop approached us on his motor bike, he first saluted us and my mum gave him a nod with a smile on her face, with both hands on the wheel we continued with our conversation, the traffic cop approached us once more and asked my mother to lower her window, and she did so, he then went on and asked my mother why she was talking on the phone!In shock my mum replied ''officer i am having a conversation with my daughter, i am not on the phone'', he the replied ''fine though go round the round about'' so my mother did so and she continued driving. After going round the round about he stopped us again this time saying ''you will stop this stupidity you have, what are you still doing taking on the phone?'' my mother replied ''i am not on the phone i am simply having a conversation with my daughter, has it become a crime to talk to someone in the car?'' and that's when he told my mother to drive to the Kilimani police station and we did so.

Once we got to the police station we were directed to the traffic office as he checked my mothers driving licence, the traffic cop walked in to the office where a police behind a desk was and started writing a statement for her, as he did so my mother asked to see what he was writing and the man got upset about this and he ignored my mother and continued writing, my mother asked once more and he replied ''fine madam come see what i am writing''. once my mother saw what he was writing she denied the allegation which was ''driving while on the phone''. She then went on and told the police that she was having a conversation with her daughter(me) and that the last time she checked it was not an offence to do so and she is not that stupid to be stopped twice on the same road doing the same thing when the traffic cop is right next to her, asking me to come in and explain what had occurred, I walked in and my mother said this is my daughter who is 17 years old, I would not ask her to lie and I know she would not lie, I then went on to say that the traffic cop stopped us twice as we were having our conversation and I felt like my mother was being harassed if anything, as he was being very rude and he insulted her, as I turned to ask the traffic cop whether he has evidence or proof that my mother was on the phone seeing as both hands were on the wheel he turned, almost slapping me and said ''me!your pointing at me''. The police behind the desk asked her to give in her car keys and my mother said no, then he asked her to dial a number on her phone which showed the serial number of her phone and my mother refused to give it to them. The police behind the desk started snickering and told my mother she has an option either she can go to court or she can be locked up in the cell, my mother then replied ''lets go to court, let me call my lawyer'' and both the men laughed and told her not to call the lawyer. The police behind the desk then said to the other cop ''fine take her to the OCS''

Once we got to the main office my mother was in front then the cop then me, she was told to walk into a door made of metal grills and as I approached the door the cop closed it, I stood there confused as to why I cant walk in!, as I looked around I saw the OCS's office to my right and I said to my mother ''I think there putting you in cell'' she then gave me her car keys and her phone and told me to call my father or one of my uncles or cousins. As I stood there still confused they were trying to put her in the cell and my mother completely refused as they man handled her in and made rude remarks, when she came out forcefully she told me to go talk to the OCS, so I went into his office and I explained myself and the situation, he sat there with a smile on his face and asked me ''what do you want me to do about it?'' as he laughed lightly, I then replied ''I don't think being on the phone while one is driving, which she was not doing in the first place, is an offence big enough to put someone straight into a cell!'' I then offered to show him her last call, and even offered to call Safaricom and ask them when her last call came in, he refused and said that he does not need all that and that I should go to the person who handles traffic affairs. As I went to the office it was closed from the outside so I resulted to calling some one who can help me get my mother out.

As I stood outside the main office door waiting for my grandmother to come to our rescue, I could see cars coming in, the drivers with confused faces and as the traffic cops who brought them in went to talk to them, they looked even more shocked!. Most of the drivers gave a bribe and the few like my mother and I who did not comply were taken through the same process but then would give up at the traffic offence office. The police station at the time was full of cars, parked and more coming in, it was like a harvest day for the traffic cops for what we call ''kitu kidogo'' something small which is a bribe. When I went back in, my mother was having a laugh with one of the cops, who writes statements and he insisted that they should converse in our mother tongue which is Kimeru.

My grandmother then with two of her friends, one who was a male, convinced the cops to let her go on " under the table bail", and so they did. Once they realized who we were bailing out they started making comments such as ''she is a difficult woman'' reason for this is no one ever questions the police, if they do, they probably end up in jail!.
Once my mum was let out, she was shocked on how so many people who had petty offences were in there for and even some had not done anything just like her. She had a conversation with one man who had also refused to enter the cell, the man was in no hurry as he knew he had not done anything wrong and he was waiting to talk to one of the bosses of the police, he told my mother that he had been arrested because the traffic cop said his car is too old to be on the road, when he asked the traffic cop why he says this he started cheeping his car paint and said that the paint of the car shows that the car is not road worthy and is too old, the man then said that, that is a stupid reason to arrest him and he was put in the cell. She also found a matatu driver who was in tears saying, enough is enough, what this police officers are doing needs to end.
My mother also had a conversation with the police officers and they told her that the traffic cops this days are a nonsense, they bring in so many people who have not done anything, simply filling the cell just cause they have refused to give them a bribe.

As we stood there with my mother, grandmother, and her friend the man who was helping us bail her out came to us, and after our many thank yous he told my mother that with the Kenyan police you agree to everything they say even if its not true, because they are all connected, the police who arrested you can talk to the OCS who will keep you in the cell for the night, and when you go for your court case the next day they will talk to the judge who can sentence you for even three months without a fine.

Later on, my mother and I found out from my grand mothers friend that they were planning on keeping her there for the night to "teach her a lesson " and beat her up before she went to court the next morning, seeing as she had questioned them and she was fighting for her rights.

As I was in the police station, I saw a young man being man handled and kicked around because of a traffic offence, I saw the same traffic cop enter someones car so as to take a bribe, I saw almost 15-20 cars drive in and out after exchanging money with this police men. Most of them were women roughly from ages 30-45.

My conclusion from this experience is that, Kenya does not have a justice system, the same people we go to for help are the same ones who are harassing us, and planning our attacks in cells, some of them have values yes, but most of them are looking to bully us ordinary Kenyas because they have the authority to. They all work together, whether there highly ranked or at the bottom, they all want the same thing which is to get easy money from civilians. I once heard a conversation, while I was in a matatu, one man said ''sometimes you can find that the OCS or OCPD telling the traffic cops that he needs at least a minimum of 100 cars from each, this practically means money from each.

Our police men work as if they are on a commission and from the looks of it they are. The matatu driver I talked about earlier told my mother, if she can find someone to show people what happens in this stations he will be so grateful, seeing as no one seems to listen to matatu drivers as people think they are all reckless and should not be on the road, but really they are just like all the other drivers, either way we are all harassed the same way and we all go to the same cell as they do.

I decided to share this story once i saw the way matters are handled in this station but after my mother came out and told me what actually went on inside the grill doors, it gave me even more motivation to do this blog. Seeing as with or without evidence you can still be imprisoned.
So I will be the voice of every citizen who feels they cant fight for there rights because of police officers who misuse there power and authority.

IAM-M.ASHLEY