Matatu operators want boda boda riders tamed, fault CSs for silence

Digital Boda and Deliveries Association Members who Assembled at Green Park Nairobi to Mark The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDoR).[Benard Orwongo,Standard] In one week, more than five vehicles have been set ablaze by rowdy boda boda operators in different parts of the country. In one case, a mini-bus belonging to Super Metro Sacco was torched along Thika road after knocking down a motorcycle rider and a pillion passenger. This was followed by another incident where boda boda riders in Launda burned another matatu belonging to a self-help group. And now matatu operators say that as these cases are being witnessed, Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Inspector General Douglas Kanja are yet to condemn the actions or issue directives on the sector. Mass Mobility Operators Association, on behalf of the matatu owners, said the recent acts have not only left investors counting losses worth millions of shillings but also could force them to form rival gangs to face off with the riders. "In the past few weeks, we have witnessed rising cases of boda boda riders torching our vehicles and private cars. We are condemning those criminal acts," Mass Mobility Operators Association Chairman Nelson Mwangi said. "These vehicles being set a blaze are not only machines but drivers of the economy, and investors have gotten them through a lot of sweat and loans, thus it pains when we see them being set a blaze," he added. The chairman said the concerned authorities have gone mute in a move that emboldened the riders caught wrong in some cases. "We have not heard from the Transport Cabinet Secretary, Interior, and the NTSA, which is the regulator condemning the acts; in fact, even the Inspector General, who is heading the law enforcement, has not come out to say what action will be taken on the criminals who torch vehicles," he said. The association's secretary, General Wilfred Bo, said that in one week, seven cases have been reported across the country, among them two in Nairobi, one in Kaimbu, Vihiga and in other cases, motorists have been injured by boda boda riders. "We urge the Cabinet Secretary for Interior, the Inspector General of Police and County governments to put boda boda operators under strict regulation to weed out criminal elements hiding behind the sector," Bosire said. He added: "Boda bodas are an important part of our transport ecosystem, but they cannot operate above the law, justice must be served not only for victims of the accidents but also for vehicle owners and operators who have lost millions of shillings in destroyed property," he said. Neslon Muasya, chairman of the boda-boda association in Nairobi, while condemning the acts, said the riders who torch the vehicles are not registered in any sacco, thus they act with impunity. "It is heartbreaking to see another person's investment going up in ashes, that is an act of criminals and misbehaviour by my colleagues. When an accident occurs, they ought to find out how it happened or who is at fault, instead of torching vehicles," he said. "My appeal to the government is to regulate the boda boda sector and ensure the members are in saccos. This way, all details of the rider will be captured, and it becomes easy to trace the culprits," Muasya added. At the same time, the Motorists Association of Kenya blamed boda boda riders for harassing drivers, and their actions are still unregulated, adding that riders freely flaunt traffic laws in full sight of police officers. "They ride against oncoming traffic, even at night, blinding motorists with full beams, flickering coloured lights and forcing dangerous swerves," the statement read in part. The association said these actions endanger the lives of motorists, and in the event of an accident, they flee.

Matatu operators want boda boda riders tamed, fault CSs for silence

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Matatu operators want boda boda riders tamed, fault CSs for silence

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