Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki Thursday announced that all police roadblocks will be removed across the country from November 1, 2023.
The roadblocks will be replaced by patrol security officers along the highways and major corridors. Kindiki said the elimination of roadblocks is a presidential directive.
“Roadblocks are an old form of security in various nations. Roadblocks should be mounted on the request of the security operators to achieve a specific agenda and once it has served its purpose it’s dismounted,” he said.
Kindiki said the government is implementing several legal frameworks to support the free movement of goods and services within the community.
They include the implementation of East Africa Community common trade protocol and one-stop border post.
Read: Chiefs, Police to Ensure Strict Adherence to Covid-19 Protocols- Natembeya
The CS spoke during a meeting with the National Assembly’s EAC block and Integration progress on various projects undertaken by the partner states. The panel had invited the CS to explain the government’s support free movement of goods, services and people within the region.
The committee raised concerns that the many police roadblocks were causing problems for transporters and business people ferrying goods.
They said the roadblocks, besides wasting time for traders, have become centres of corruption where security officers demand bribes from the transporters.
Police had tried to remove the roadblocks but the exercise failed to take off.
Former police boss Hilary Mutyambai made the orders. Despite an order by Mutyambai that fixed roadblocks be abolished and replaced by mobile ones, it emerged dozens of officers were still using the barricades for personal enrichment.
For instance, in Rift Valley with the busiest international highway connecting Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan and DRC —traffic personnel are still setting up barriers despite the orders.
Mutyambai introduced 38 patrol cars on major highways to conduct random checks of specific routes and abolish roadblocks.
Mutyambai said the cars would have four personnel, including the officer-in-charge, the driver and two others.
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