Murkomen says police officer receiving bribe and giver face arrest
By Nancy Marende, August 13, 2025Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen has warned that both police officers caught receiving bribes and members of the public offering them will face arrest and prosecution.
Speaking when he appeared before the National Assembly on August 13, 2025, Murkomen noted that the burden of accountability should not rest solely on officers, noting that bribe-givers are equally culpable.
“We often just talk about the responsibility that the officer has in terms of fighting corruption. But that traffic police officer is led into temptation by this business mogul who is driving on the road. That mogul should be equally punished the same way the officer is,” he said.
Further, Murkomen described bribery as a societal problem that requires collective responsibility, arguing that citizens must resist corrupt practices rather than enabling them.
“With this thing, you can’t blame one side alone. It is a societal problem that we must deal with. People pay bribes because even if they have not committed a crime, they don’t like the inconvenience of going through the court to be cleared.”
Bribery
This comes a few weeks after a new report by Transparency International Kenya revealed that a majority of Kenyans who encounter bribery do not report the incidents, primarily due to fears that no action will be taken.
The latest Kenya Bribery Index report, dated July 17, 2025, reveals that only 17 per cent of those who found themselves in a bribery situation filed a formal report.
While this marks a slight improvement from 2019, when just 13 per cent reported such incidents, the overall reporting rate remains significantly low.
“In this survey, only 17 per cent of those who found themselves in a bribery situation made a formal report. This was, however, an improvement from the previous survey in 2019, when only 13 per cent reported. This positive trend can be traced back to 2017, when only 6 per cent reported, the Transparency International report revealed.
When asked why they chose not to report, respondents cited several reasons, including the belief that reporting would lead to no action. Others expressed fear of intimidation or retaliation, while some admitted they were beneficiaries of the bribe and thus had no incentive to come forward.
The report also revealed that self-employed Kenyans have emerged as the leading givers of bribes, shedding light on the extent of corruption in everyday public service interactions.
The report reveals that 48 per cent of individuals in the self-employed category admitted to paying bribes, the highest among all occupational groups surveyed.
The category was followed by the employed at 28 per cent, the non-employed/student at 18 per cent, and the retired at 6 per cent.