Nairobi police officer boldly demands Sh50 bribe, dares matatu driver to report: 'Enda Vigilance House'

A female police officer in Nairobi has sparked outrage online after being caught on camera demanding a Sh50 bribe from a matatu driver and daring him to report to her seniors at Vigilance House.

The incident, captured from the matatu’s dashboard camera, shows the officer boasting about having already arrested three drivers earlier in the day.

“Nimepeleka watu watatu station,” she says in the clip.

When the driver asked what he needed to do to avoid arrest, the officer retorted:

“Hujawai ongea na wenzako ujue mnatoa pesa ngapi?”

A trending video shows an altercation between a driver and a female traffic police officer in Nairobi, with the officer stopping the vehicle and demanding a bribe for an alleged traffic offense, boldly suggesting that this is a routine expectation on that route and that if the… pic.twitter.com/oLE7dvazJi

— Nyakundi Report (@NyakundiReport) November 5, 2025

She then demanded, “Haya leta 50,” prompting the driver to protest, saying he had done nothing wrong.

“For no reason? Naona magari zingine zinashukisha mbele yangu,” he argued.

Unmoved, the officer dismissed his concern, saying, “Wewe utazoeana tu na sisi,” and sarcastically advised him to report the matter to Vigilance House, the police headquarters.

The video has since gone viral, drawing sharp reactions from Kenyans online who decried the rampant corruption in law enforcement.

“We have sunk so low. Kenya needs a renaissance,” wrote Erickson Odhiambo.

Another user, Kawira, added: “This is so disheartening. That 50 seems like little until you calculate how many mats use that stop daily. Kenya needs awakening. This is just sick.”

Others, however, criticised the driver for complaining about a “small” bribe, with one comment reading:

“We peana chwani... anyway ata akiokota hio chwani sio yake, anapelekea wakubwa jioni.”

The video comes months after the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) ranked the police as the most corrupt institution in Kenya.

According to the 2024 National Ethics and Corruption Survey, 27.6 per cent of Kenyans who interacted with police officers reported experiencing or witnessing corruption. Kenya Revenue Authority officials followed at 17.3 per cent, chiefs at 16.2 per cent, and county inspectorate officers at 14.6 per cent.

The Ministry of Interior topped the list of corrupt government departments at 47.8 per cent, followed by Health at 19.7 per cent and the National Treasury at 5.8 per cent.

The report identified bribery, favouritism, and abuse of office as the most common forms of corruption affecting Kenyans seeking services from public institutions.