Albert Malukisa Nkuku and Haoyang Stan Xie do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Commuting in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, presents challenges for its 17 million residents. Massive traffic jams and unsafe driving cause chaos on the roads , leading to long delays.
The chaos has become a pressing concern for residents. This included constructing an interchange and flyover. One-way traffic was introduced on certain streets. These have had little effect. While congestion in the capital is usually blamed on poor infrastructure, there are some harder-to-see causes. Under the scheme, known as the quota system, station managers police commanders assign street agents a daily quota of drivers to escort to the station, often based on fabricated allegations.
We also detail how corruption operates as a coordinated system rather than as isolated acts of individual misconduct. Anecdotal observation suggests that the police service lacks funds for basic necessities such as fuel or communication costs. Low resources have contributed to police officers extracting funds from drivers, partly for personal profit, partly to cover the costs for their police work.
A major way in which this is done is through a specific scheme involving traffic police agents. We found that station managers assign different street agents a daily quota of drivers to bring to the station.
To meet this quota, agents often use brute force and have the discretion to invent infractions that they report at the police station. The dilapidated state of most cars in Kinshasa helps police officers with this task. At the station, agents pass the allegations to judicial officers, who have the power to issue charges β or demand bribes so drivers avoid formal penalties. Many drivers try to avoid this extortion by developing relationships with influential protectors. After three years of qualitative fieldwork, we built trust with a large number of individuals inside and around the traffic police agency.
