Taxi drivers in Ruiru have accused area traffic police officers of harassment despite them meeting legal requirements to operate.
Speaking in a meeting today in Ruiru town, the chairman of the recently formed Ruiru Taxi Sacco, James Mwangi said that police have continuously harassed taxi operators especially during the night claiming that they promote criminal activities.
"We are now working with a lot of fear that police might arrest them at any time. This is affecting our earnings," he said
He claims the harassment started a few weeks ago when a taxi driver was arrested for alleged involvement in criminal activities during the night.
However, he explained that not all operators were encouraging crime and police should use proper means to handle the situation.
He said most of the taxi operators are youthful and being their sole source of livelihood, the police need to allow them a conducive environment to operate.
"We want to plead with the police to stop harassing us and instead if they suspect anyone, let them use proper channels to prove their guilt," said Mwangi.
Responding to the allegations, Ruiru OCPD Isaac Thuranira said that police are not harassing the taxi operators but simply ensuring that criminal activities are not promoted by their business.
He said that the cases of taxi drivers being involved in crime had risen and action had to be taken to curb the cases.
"My officers are simply doing their job, and they are not harassing the taxi operators. We are just working to keep the region safe," said Thuranira