A Nairobi Officer who was involved in a confrontation with a female driver, Gloria Ntazola is off the hook. This is contrary to the earlier statement by the department that they would ensure disciplinary action is taken against him.
The statement is according to a report that was submitted by the county security department to the office of the acting County Secretary, Mr Patrick Analo.
Analo mentioned that the inspector was free and that there would be no disciplinary action would be taken against him. This decision is in direct contradiction to the statement Mr Analo made when the matter erupted the previous week.
According to him, the traffic marshall was acting in line with the actions that had been taking place within the Nairobi CBD.
“There is no action against the officer. The lady was wrong. He wanted to prevent the lady from double parking but he became a bit argumentative,” Mr Analo explained.
He further mentioned that the marshal was trying to stop Gloria from committing an offence when she became violent. She was then about to run away when the officer decided to intercept her by entering her vehicle.
” Do you think our officer just did that out of nowhere? This is an experienced officer who has handled more than 200 cars on that same lane within the town,” he added.
Traffic Marshals in CBD
He then mentioned that the traffic marshals have been using this same mechanism to prevent traffic offences. In normal instances, the drivers opt to run away which could cause accidents if not well handled. According to him, this format helps to prevent traffic offences while ensuring that the drivers don’t run away.
Mr Analo then pointed out that he had fears about the security of the marshal after the lady decided to abduct him. After the marshal entered the lady’s car, she got infuriated and threatened to drive with the officer in the vehicle until she reached her destination. She then locked the doors and drove him to Athi River, in Machakos County.
Gloria Nzola is a business lady in Nairobi who complained of being harassed by the traffic inspector several times. In this instance, she mentioned that she decided to teach them a lesson. The lady ensured that she took a video of her ordeal while confronting the officer in her vehicle. Consequently, the video went viral on all social media platforms and called for a response from Mr Analo and his department.
Subscribe to Switch TV
County’s Response to Gloria
The county has, however, accused Gloria of failing to report the incidents to the police stations or to the county offices for necessary action to be taken.
The Acting County Secretary defended the officer by mentioning that the officer looked harmless and not argumentative with the lady. This was from the video that the lady (who is also a TikToker) took of the situation. According to them, the officer was calm despite being driven out of his workplace without his consent.
“As you can see, our officer was humble and sat patiently. He did not exchange words with the lady.”
Kenyans responded to the viral video by sharing similar grievances with the marshal officers in the Nairobi CBD areas. Most of them claim to be consistently harassed by the officers in the region, despite their cooperation with the traffic rules. The officers, on the other hand, mention that all they do, including entering the owners’ vehicles without consent, is part of their way to fulfilling their duties.
Read Also: TikTok is Building Careers in Kenya as TikToker’s Make Waves
