Security officers in Nyeri County have been ordered to remain vigilant and apprehend any individual or gang of criminals found to be breaching the peace during the festive season.
The county Police Commander David Too says the officers will be conducting 24-hour patrols in all eight sub-counties as provided under the operation order in order to enable the members of the public to enjoy Christmas and New Year festivities untroubled.
“There is already an operation order in place and our officers in all the sub-counties have been directed to remain alert in case of any incident that may imperil the harmony of the public. Every sub-county police commander has been mandated to take charge of his area of jurisdiction and ensure that those who interfere with the peaceful coexistence of the people are arrested and charged accordingly. We want our people to have a peaceful festive season,” he said.
“The public should also assist us in maintenance of peace and tranquility during this festive season and also report any criminal elements that may try to ruin their peace.’’
Commenting on road safety, Too said they have put rogue drivers on notice and warned that those found flouting traffic rules will face instant penalties.
He said additional traffic police officers have already been deployed on all roads leading in and out of the county to monitor and crack down on unroadworthy vehicles and those found driving under the influence of alcohol.
Police will also be manning mobile courts along the Naromoru–Karatina road and the Nyeri–Othaya route, where traffic offenders will be tried and sentenced.
“We are fully prepared to make our roads and highways safe during this festive season and we will arrest anyone who will be found in contravention of the laid-down Highway Code. Right now, we have already received additional officers from the Traffic Police Headquarters, who will help in manning mobile courts where those found flouting traffic rules will get instant fines. We are therefore urging all road users to cooperate with security officers and observe all traffic rules to ensure our festivities are not marred by accidents,” he pointed out.
On Tuesday last week, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja told the media in Nyeri that the government was leaving nothing to chance in ensuring motorists adhere strictly to the laid-down Highway Code, especially during the Christmas and New Year festivities.
The police boss said it was regrettable that the county had in the recent past witnessed a rise in the number of road accidents, some resulting to deaths and promised a crackdown on rogue drivers to bring an end to the carnage.
He stated that measures to be taken against traffic offenders will include imposing instant fines, which shall be administered through a multi-agency team that will include, among others, the Judiciary and the National Transport and Safety Authority.
“We want drivers, especially now that we are moving towards Christmas, to be reminded that they must take care of the people they are ferrying. This time we are going to have an instant fine system via mobile courts that will be distributed along the major roads so that we can be able to deal with those who are breaking traffic rules.
We want to ensure that when the festive season is gone, our people are safe. We will continue with this exercise beyond the festive season to ensure the roads are safe,” said Kanja after officially opening a nine-month training programme for police recruits at the Kiganjo National Police college main campus
On Monday last week, the National Council on Administrative Justice (NCAJ), through a special sitting, came up with a raft of measures for enhancing road safety and traffic management during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Among the measures that were adopted during the session, chaired by Chief Justice Martha Koome, was the deployment of mobile courts along the highways and charging any driver found violating traffic rules.
Statistics presented during the meeting showed fatalities through road accidents had risen from 4,479 in 2024 to 4,682 in 2025.
In the first two weeks of this month alone, a total of 28 people lost their lives through road accidents across the country.
Kenya loses at least 4,000 people annually through road accidents with the WHO warning the figure could be much higher due to underreporting.
By Samuel Maina
