[kictanet] My Evening in Jail (O.K, next to Jail)

[John Walubengo]

O.K, before the moderator tells me to take this
conversation off the list - I wish to promise that it will
end with an IT twist... 

Yesterday evening, I was stopped by the Traffic Police at
Madaraka Roundabout (next to Strath University). As a law
abiding citizen, I stopped and without being asked, I
opened the boot, stepped out and handed over my Driving
Licence.

After 5minutes (eternity for me!) I realised that the young
police officer was struggling with his torch trying to
shine the lamp on my annual renewal licences.  I moved
closer and he seemed happy to have discoverd and even
happier to confirm that I had FORGED it (what???). He was
alleging that it expired last year and since I was the
clever-one, i simply extended the year by overwriting the
original deadline and replacing it with next year (i.e from
2006 to 2008 expiry date)

I tried to say indeed the overwriting was truly there, but
it must have been done by the KRA (Kenya Revenue Officials,
they are human and can make mistakes) but he was adamant
that I must visit their Police station and be checked in. I
tried to say that if I had committed a traffic offence , I
would have expected that he would write me a
ticket/summons? to appear in court sometime later in the
week and stand accused awaiting
defence/judgement/penalty..(lawyers could correct me on
that).

Later on he agreed that he will write the Summons from the
Poice Station and so we drove to the nearest police station
for this summons to be written.  We reached there (Nyayo
Stadium Police Station) and he asked me to sit right next
to the Cells (which were full of some very mean looking
'Matheri' type of characters).

After 5min, he came back to say that his Boss, the Officer
in Charge of the Station is not in and so I have to be
locked in until tomorrow morning, when he will come and
write me the summons (hallooo??- next to THOSE guys?).

To cut down the story, my wife new someone, who knew some
Senior cop, whom she  called and he eventually gave
instructions to have me released - on Condition that I
apologise for the offense (O.K. now what had I done
again?).

Here is the IT angle - isn't it time their website
www.kenyapolice.go.ke gave the Citizens the correct
position regarding Police Procedures for Civil/Criminal
offence? I mean I never knew a traffic offence could earn
you 1-night accomodation with General Ali's (the Police
Commissioner) guests. Further more, when are those so
called Tamper-proof Driving Licences going to hit the
market?

walu.
nb: the overwriting was explained to me by KRA this morning
- they say that it often happens and all they do is to
double-stamp the affected license which they actually done-
but I never knew the implication of that double-stamp.  Am
sure the young Police Officer had seen the double-stamping
but was not in a hurry to educate me - he preferred to drag
me to next to his cells for whatever (you are allowed to
speculate) reasons.




 
  



 
____________________________________________________________________________________
Get your own web address.  
Have a HUGE year through Yahoo! Small Business.
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/domains/?p=BESTDEAL