A 76-year-old man from Ngong, Kajiado County, collapsed and died on Friday morning after he was stopped by traffic police officers along Ngong-Kiseriam road.
The officers allegedly demanded a bribe.
According to eyewitnesses, the contractor was driving a Toyota fielder station wagon from Kiserian on his way to Ngong when he was flagged down by the officers.
Two of the five officers are said to have inspected the vehicle momentarily before soliciting a bribe.
One male officer entered the vehicle before they drove for about 100 metres to a nearby shopping centre where he could possibly either withdraw money from a Mpesa shop or get loose money change.
Some truck drivers nearby told Nation.Africa the man came out of his car looking for Sh 1,000 loose in readiness to part with a bribe. He confined to them he was to part with a Sh200 bribe. At that time, one police officer was in his car waiting.
“Mzee got the Sh1,000 loose and got back to his car. It seems they disagreed on the amount before the officer came out hurriedly,” one of the witnesses narrated.
In 15 minutes the officers called for a police vehicle that rushed the man to Ngong Sub-county hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
His vehicle had remained unattended parked by the roadside on Friday afternoon.
Ngong Sub-county Police commander Hussein Gura said the man was flagged down by a traffic police officer on a normal operation when he collapsed and died while being rushed to hospital.
“The family said the man had a heart complication since the Covid-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, he collapsed and died,” he said, exonerating his officers from the bribe demand claim.
On Friday afternoon, the immediate family members were at Ngong sub-county hospital in small groups trying to come to terms with their patriarch’s death. They refused to address the media after holding prayers.
