Kenya is a country that in many respects remains lax with its citizens, at the level of rules that they are supposed to abide by and instead, partly for the sake of quiet living, partly because of a kind of solidarity between the "on the ground" representatives of the institutions and the people, and the rest because of laxity, they remain in a limbo that on the one hand allows them to be broken and on the other still lends itself to sketchy interpretations that also lead to fostering corruption.

This is the case with many articles of the Highway Code. One can well imagine, for example, that one cannot ride three or four people on a motorcycle, but everyone does it and is rarely punished.
Now the police have decided instead to implement a nationwide crackdown on illegally mounted LED lights on vehicles.
Public vehicles, such as matatu and tuk tuk, or even private individuals and certain luxury cars, are wont to add flashing colored lights or other special devilry to normal illuminations.

In a press release issued yesterday, Friday, Oct. 28, police spokesman Bruno Shioso said traffic officers across the country have been instructed to arrest motorists whose vehicles have been found with unauthorized LEDs. Offenders will be charged with violating Section 55 of the Traffic Law.
The law states, "No vehicle shall be operated on any road unless such vehicle and all its parts and equipment, including lights and tires, comply with the requirements of this law, and such parts and equipment shall, at all times, be maintained in such condition that the driving of the vehicle shall not constitute a danger to other road users or persons riding in the vehicle. Violators found guilty of violating Section 55 of the law risk spending two years in prison, or a fine of 400,000 shillings, or both."

According to police, the LED lights targeted are illegally equipped lamps, modified illuminating lights, red lights, dull taillights, flashing lights, flickering lights, LED illuminating lights, unauthorized sirens, and unauthorized red and blue lights. "The cited lights violate the law in that they endanger the lives of road users. All vehicle owners are advised to comply with the legal requirements to avoid any inconvenience," the statement reads.
Clearly, during inspection operations across the country, there will also be checks on expired driver's licenses or insurance and owners of vehicles that are not roadworthy or have not been serviced.