New rules may reduce boda boda deaths

Joyce Pili of Mpeketoni, Lamu County carries her four children and two others on her motorbike. Below is a road accident involving a motorcyle. Scenes like this are common in many parts of the country. [Photos: Kiundu Waweru]

Nairobi; Kenya: The Government has crafted a raft of measures to reduce deaths caused by motorcycle riders on boda bodas (taxis) — after the realisation that they are now causing more deaths than even the notorious matatu drivers.

Since January, more than 230 people have died in boda boda-related accidents, with the number rising. More than 3,000 Kenyans die on the roads yearly — or eight people daily, with boda bodas now contributing the highest number of victims.