Nairobi: CCTV cameras on major roads facing ‘heaven’ trigger critical questions

There are fears some of the surveillance video cameras worth multi-millions of shillings on major roads are not functioning.

Road users have revealed two locations on major roads in Nairobi that the strategically-placed CCTVs are facing towards the sky, raising the question whether the others are even working.

A road safety awareness crusader shared on social media two cases that provoked a debate on the purposes of these CCTV cameras.

One camera facing unintended direction is along Northern bypass, at an accident-prone slope between Kahawa West roundabout and Njathaini area. The other case is along Kangundo road.

Motorists using the Northern bypass expressed worries with the revelation.

“This means in case of an accident or crime the perpetrators would get away with it! That spot is dangerous and should be monitored all the time. This is sad,” Martin Lang’at, a motorist, lamented.

“There is a well-staffed command centre in Nairobi and a maintenance team among others. I would like to hear their explanation on this. It is absurd,” Magdalene, a motorist, said.

Boda boda riders operating at a nearby terminus said the camera has been in this position for a long time.

The road users asked the mandated authority to take their work seriously.

“We are not wrong when we say some of these cameras are not monitored if for this long, they have not noticed one of them is filming the skies if it is operational at all. Perhaps they are not even serviced,” Maina Mungai, a Tuk Tuk operator on the bypass observed.

This comes at the moment lawmakers are in the process of passing The Bribery Bill 2023 that if adopted will have traffic police officers stationed on roads replaced with CCTV cameras.