Do not bribe the police during curfew

Kenya, and the whole world is in difficult times due to coronavirus. Moving forward, we must stop apportioning blames and instead begin acting in a way that will help all of us overcome the virus.

A preliminary study in the renowned New England Journal of Medicine said that the epidemic can double in size almost every week – in 7.4 days. Further, “we estimated a rate of infection of approximately 2.2, meaning that on average, each patient has been spreading infection to 2.2 other people. An epidemic will increase as long as the rate of infection is greater than one.

This means that if unchecked, the virus can and will spread across the nation. To avoid this, President Uhuru Kenyatta has put in place a nationwide dusk to dawn curfew. Schools have been shut down while public gatherings have been banned.
These regulations must be respected to curb the spread of coronavirus. So far, Kenyans have adhered to the new restrictions. We all have to make sacrifices and adjustments.

Police officers have been enlisted to help enforce the curfew. While ordinary Kenyans struggle to make ends meet, police officers should ensure that people understand why their movement is restricted during the curfew hours.

Police officers should not force people to pay – financially or otherwise – for adjusting to this period of crisis.

Reports that police officers in Kisumu and Mombasa counties were reverting to violence and teargas canisters to enforce the nationwide curfew is unfortunate.

Other reports that officers in Nairobi have forced people to step out of their vehicles, walk home, and come back the following morning to pick up their damaged cars and pay towing fees as well as bribes for being out in the evening, even before curfew began, are appalling.

Corruption can contribute to the spread of the virus. All Kenyans are going to feel the effects of the virus in the coming months. Any decision by corrupt police officers to take advantage of that is an absolute travesty.

Graft is Kenya’s number one problem, the viral disease notwithstanding. It is holding us back and stagnating our economic growth.

It has a role in youth unemployment, lack of access to medical care and educational opportunities.

All Kenyans deserve the same basic socio-economic opportunities. That is why the government initiated the anti-corruption campaign.

Any effort to use the coronavirus crisis to gain through corrupt deals should be punished. It is the duty of all Kenyans to stop corruption.

In these difficult times we must come out to fight out common enemies Covid-19 and corruption.

Kenyans must support President Kenyatta’s anti-corruption campaign by reporting all corrupt people.