Arrest, punish rogue boda boda operators

A boda boda operator plying along Kisii Mwembe route on 6/12/2017 decided to break basic traffic rules. (Photo by Sammy Omingo/Standard)

Lost in the public outrage over increasing road accident cases is the menace posed by rogue motorcycle riders who, emboldened by the apparent inertia within law enforcement agencies, have become a law unto themselves.

Even as the Cabinet secretary for Interior and the National Transport and Safety Authority called for a review of driving schools across the country, one wonders; how many of the motorcycle riders on Kenyans roads have been to a driving school and possess valid driving licences?

A common practice has been that an aspiring rider gets one familiar with riding to train him or her on a deserted field for a couple of hours, and thereafter deems himself or herself qualified to take to carrying paying customers. It is therefore not surprising that such riders do not know the first thing about road safety and discipline. Over time, it has increasingly become costly for motorists who have the misfortune of getting involved in an accident with a boda boda rider. In such an eventuality, other riders have resorted to burning the vehicles involved without even considering the circumstances or allowing the law to take its course. This barbaric culture of road madness should be nipped in the bud.

Road safety authorities need to step in and punish errant boda boda riders who have arrogated themselves the roles of prosecutor, judge and jury.

Stricter controls ought to be imposed on boda boda riders. It might be necessary to demand that boda boda riders operate under saccos like matatus do to aid in identifying criminal elements masquerading as genuine riders.