By Joseph Kamau Kiragu
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday ordered a crackdown of boda boda riders across the country. This followed the Viral video that circulated on Monday where a group of rogue riders assaulted a female driver along Forest Road. Indeed, we all agree that the incident was a disheartening, barbaric, and embarrassing one. However, since the crackdown has started in some parts of the country, we have observed that a significant number of boda boda operators are inconvenienced by the situation. Some have given up on the sector despite it being a source of their livelihood following the crackdown. As Kenyans are also condemning the incident, they are also complaining that this massive crackdown has hit them; for instance, delivering goods to their clients and arriving at work lately has been affected by the crackdown. Some boda boda riders are not reporting to work due to fear of being arrested. Numerous support services such as mechanics and spare parts dealers have also been affected. This is a significant threat to our economy since such disruptions can cause economic sabotage.
It is worth noting that boda boda sector has been playing a critical role in our economy. It has been an emerging economic giant. Unemployment youth have been using this sector to earn their daily bread. It has also supported streets hawkers and contributed immensely through fuel levy charged at petrol stations. The number of motorcycles in our country has also increased; hence, the boda boda industry has been one of the most extensive drives in our economy. Notably, when he was ordering the crackdown, our President requested the police to be humane during the process. However, some of the police are harassing the boda boda operators. We have been observing them blocking sections of roads in the line of protesting against the crackdown and inhumane of the police. During the protests, many economic activities are hampered, and the flow of goods and services is abnormally distributed.
The registration, regulation, and enforcement of laws by the movement to the boda boda operators cannot be ignored. More worthy, to maintain our economy, the clarion call is that the government could have given all the boda boda operators a period to do all that is required, such as registering, having a driving license and insurance cover, and then launch such a crackdown and deal sternly with those who will not have compiled with the new directions. Let us create an economy that works for everyone.