Home Affairs Deputy Minister, Pereira Ame Silima

The government has unveiled plans to use banks and modern technology to collect money paid as fines by people who violate traffic laws.

Home Affairs Deputy Minister Pereira Ame Silima admitted shortfalls of the current system which allow traffic police who are far from the Officer Commanding District office to collect the money.

He was responding to a supplementary question by Vicent Nyerere (Musoma Urban – Chadema) who wanted to know whether there were traffic police who collect money from violators of traffic rules and regulations.

“The present system allows traffic police who are far from the OCD office to collect money from violators of laws…we have noticed some shortfalls and we are working on plans to use banks and modern technology to collect the money,” Silima said. In his basic question Nyerere wanted to know the government’s stance on traffic police who collect fines without issuing receipts.

Responding, Silima said that what the traffic police was doing was not charging a fine but issuing notification which requires the driver to go and pay in the office of the OCD.

“This is done according to section 95 of the Traffic Act Number 68 of 1973 ….the traffic police are supposed to write a notification to identify the offence committed and the amount to be paid,” Silima said. He said that after the traffic has written the notification the payment is supposed to be done at the Office of the Officer Commanding District, with accounts officers with responsibility to receive money and provide receipts.

In her supplementary question, special seats MP Mkiwa Kimwaga faulted the system of paying the fine saying that the notification shows Sh30,000 per offence but the receipt indicates Sh20,000.

The deputy minister however promised to work on the controversies surrounding the payment of fines.