Boda boda operators on learning trip to Rwanda

About 112 residents, among them 95 boda boda operators, left Kisumu for Rwanda Tuesday on a sponsored trip to learn how to improve their businesses.

Several county government staff, including two MCAs and three chief officers, accompanied the boda boda operators on the five-day trip that has sparked an uproar from some MCAs.

Governor Jack Ranguma said the trip was meant to expose the operators to the need to restore law and order as they operate their businesses, as well as give them the opportunity to learn how to commercialise their businesses.

After seeing the team off yesterday morning, Mr Ranguma said the boda boda business was an emerging economic pillar in the county and had employed hundreds of young people hence the decision to help them learn more about it.

"We are optimistic that they will learn a lot and share their knowledge with the rest," he said.

The governor noted that the leaders of boda boda bases in the county as well as all women operators had been considered for the trip.

"We want to bring sanity to this sector that has employed so many people," he said.

Public Funds

East Seme MCA Aggrey Ogosi, the vice chairman of the assembly committee tasked with conducting a study and providing recommendations to improve the boda boda industry, however accused Ranguma of misusing public funds.

He said the executive had not put any measures in place to ensure that the existing county transport laws were put to use.

The Standard could not immediately confirm the cost of the trip.

"You do not need to take boda boda operators to Rwanda when the county has not done anything to ensure that the inspectorate is functional," said Mr Ogosi.

He urged the county government to adopt strategies from other counties to streamline the transport sector.

"A county like Mombasa has regulations that ensure that operators do not flout the laws set by both the county and national governments," said the MCA.

The trip comes at a time when the county is struggling to set up policies to streamline the rapidly growing sector. In November last year, a committee of seven MCAs, led by Ahero Ward representative Maurice Aloo, took a similar trip to Mombasa to see how to streamline the sector.

The committee was, however, yet to table its report in the House by the time members went on recess two weeks ago.

Assistant Clerk Peter Anditi told The Standard yesterday that the assembly would seek to re-introduce a motion to give the committee more time to prepare the report.

"The committee also had plans to visit Busia and Homa Bay counties as well as Rwanda," said Mr Anditi.

He said some of the key areas that the committee was pushing for included registration of all boda boda operators in the county as well as finding ways to tax them.

"Some of the issues the committee wanted to put an end to were the increasing cases of criminals using boda bodas to attack members of the public," said Anditi.