Hand-held speed guns and breathalyzers used by traffic police in crackdowns on speeding and drunk drivers are not approved by the national standards bureau, a petitioner has claimed. A petitioner, Mr Japhet Muroko, on Monday told the court that the hand-held speed guns and AlcoBlow devices used by traffic officers are not approved by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs), “questioning the standards and safety of the said machines which are being used on unsuspecting Kenyans.” He said that the National Transport and Safety Authority had not produced evidence of a procurement advertisement to show that the acquisition of the gadgets was transparent and competitive. KEBS NOT CONSULTED Mr Muroko told the court that he was aware that the Cabinet Secretary for Transport introduced the preliminary breathalyzers and the hand-held speed guns but he never consulted Kebs before approving the public use of the said machines. “The said machines were unprocedurally introduced on our roads necessitating my letter to the minister which one year down has never been responded to,” he said. He also claimed that the minister first introduced the AlcoBlow devices as preliminary breath analyzers but failed to show the results of the findings of the breathalyzers on breathe specimen. Mr Muroko said that the speed cameras being used on most Kenyan highways do not meet the required standards. NO ORDERS GIVEN He therefore wants KEBS ordered to “inspect and review specifications of the gadgets to ensure that they meet the required threshold of such equipment as used on Kenyans.” Mr Muroko asked the court to compel the minister to cite the authority under which the police officers are using the hand-held speed guns without prior training on how to handle the equipment. He asked the court to immediately stop the use of the gadgets, confiscate them and ban their use in the country. Justice Mumbi Ngugi certified the suit as urgent but declined to give orders, stating that the petitioner should first serve the parties. The hearing continues.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 19:24:08 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015