By S, KNA
Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators and boda-boda owners in Nyeri have expressed varied reactions following proposals to paralyze transport every Monday following the recent torching of a number of matatus in the country.
And while both players disagree on who is to blame for the unfortunate incidents, there is a general consensus that the events witnessed recently in torching a Forward Travelers matatu in Nairobi was an act of arson by criminal gangs.
They are also calling for speedy arrest and prosecution of individuals behind the arson which they say have painted the public sector in a bad light.
“We have no problem with the PSV matatu operators staging protests over what they believe is a just cause ,but what we cannot agree on is disrupting other motorist from going about their daily businesses .We believe those who torched PSV matatus in Nairobi were rogue criminal elements and as Police should do their work and arrest as such .But paralyzing an entire sector just in the name of pursuing criminals will remain a pursuit in futility ,”says Charles Ndegwa ,spokesperson for the 35,000 member-strong Nyeri Bodaboda Association.
Ndegwa has also faulted Police for allowing hooligans to infiltrate the sector and terrorize motorists in the pretext of safeguarding the welfare of bodaboda riders.
He claims that last month a motorists lost his car after hooligans masquerading as boda-boda riders torched his car as it was being towed to the Police station.
The car had allegedly been involved in a fatal accident involving a boda boda rider.
He claimed that upon inquiry, it was established the suspects involved were not members of his association but had been sponsored by a local politician.
“The issue of torching of vehicles is no longer affecting PSV owners but is now targeting even private vehicle owners with one such car having been torched in Othaya as it was being towed from an accident scene. The charged mob who committed this atrocity had disguised themselves as bodaboda riders before going ahead and setting the vehicle on fire. Had the vehicle been accorded Police escort, such an ugly incident could not have taken place in the first place,” he pointed out.
His sentiments have also been echoed by Nyena Sacco Chair Peter Theuri who says the problem is not only affecting PSV matatu but private vehicle owners as well.
Theuri is also faulting those calling for a paralysis of the public transport across the country warning that such a move will only hurt the sector which is still reeling under high operational costs.
“Those who are torching peoples’ vehicles are not bodaboda riders but criminals who should be arrested and arraigned before a court of law to answer to charges of arson. In addition, those who are calling for a general strike by PSV matatus seem to have missed the point. This is because among those who have lost their vehicles include persons who are not even in the matatu sector. It would not be wise to advise PSV operators to withdraw their vehicles from the road in protest since the real culprits could be criminals under the payroll of someone,” stated Theuri.
Yesterday transport was paralyzed for the better part of the day in some parts of the country after the Matatu Owners Association (MOA) called a general strike to press the Government to crackdown on suspected rogue bodaboda riders accused of being behind the torching of PSV matatus.
The latest incident occurred on January 23 this year when suspected bodaboda riders torched a Forward Travelers minibus after it was allegedly involved in an accident that claimed the life of a bodaboda rider.
Following the incidents, a section of PSV operators called for the withdrawal of services across the country until the Government reigns in on the boda boda transport sector.
The bodaboda sector employees close to 2.5 million Kenyans and injects at least Sh660 billion annually into the economy which accounts to 4.4 per cent of the country’s GDP, according to a 2025 report by Viffa Consult, a Kenyan based Management Consultancy firm that empowers Micro, Small and Medium enterprises.
Last year the Senate had proposed a Bill with the objective of taming the multibillion bodaboda transport industry for fear that the sector may in future turn out to be a behemoth answerable to none but itself.
The Public Transport (Motorcycle Regulation) Bill ,2023 sponsored by Kakamega Senator Dr. Boni Khalwale, had called for the introduction of a number of regulations including on registration, operation, and management of the sector at the county level.
It also proposed the establishment of a County Motorcycle Transport and Safety Board to be motorcyclist adheres to the provision of the Bill.
A County Executive Committee member in charge of transport was to be responsible for the regulation, management and coordination of all matters relating to the bodaboda transport sector at the county level.
Article 33(2) of the Bill ,2023 obliges riders to cooperate with officers of the board in ensuring they comply with the new law.
“The owner or rider of a motorcycle shall cooperate with an authorized officer conducting an inspection under this section and shall provide all necessary documents and information. An authorized officer may require the owner or rider of a motorcycle to produce proof of registration, insurance, and any other documents required by this Act.” reads article 33(3,4) of the Bill.
Article 16 of the Bill had provided that all riders should have valid driving licenses from training institutions approved by the National Transport Authority (NTSA).
In addition, according to Article 16(2), riders had to have acquired training on customer care and etiquette, be in a position to handle emergency situations, possess basic motorcycle maintenance and security awareness and precautions certificates.
Had the Bill become law, riders would no longer have been allowed to ferry two pillion passengers at a time.
The law also prohibited riders from carrying a pillion passenger alongside a load exceeding 50 kilograms.
However, according to Article 17 (2) a child who is less than thirteen years old may be carried together with an adult passenger provided the kid is seated between the rider and the adult passenger.
The proposed law also grants authority to the CEC in charge of Transport to authorize the use of motorcycle ambulances equipped with medical equipment and supplies as long as such are approved by the relevant national and county health authorities.
Nevertheless, such ambulances must be operated by trained medical personnel with valid medical licenses.
Article 28 further mandates bodaboda operators to fit their motorcycles with security devices which are subject to the provision of the Data Protection Act.
Such devices had to be approved by the CEC in charge of Transport.
A person who contravened the provision of the Act and whose provision had not been provided for elsewhere under the Bill was liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding Sh20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both, according to Article 32 of the legislation.