By Gitau wa Kung’u (honkungujulius@gmail.com).
Tears, shrieking suffering, screams, incapacitation or loss of loved ones/bread winners then; regrets accusations, cases, stress, depression, trauma, the immature termination of dreams and poverty.
That is the anguishing cycle many individuals, families and societies that victims of gory and ghastly boda boda (motor cycle) accidents go through.
With the emergency wing of many hospitals receiving energetic boda boda riders and their passengers with disfigured bodies, broken limbs, fractured skulls and vertebrae almost every hour;
With hospital beds filled with suffering people and dismembered, disfigured boda boda accident victims sojourning in mortuaries; something must be done by the society and the government.
I propose the following measures to be undertaken:
The government should legislate that all motorcycles be fitted with speed limiters/governors that will limit the speed to 80Km/hr. The legislature should also rule that contravention of the law be punished by cancellation of the rider’s licence, heavy fine not less than Ksh 100,000 or imprisonment of at least one year of the owner so that both parties get responsible.
Overspeeding is the leading cause of road accidents. This will ensure that boda boda riders will not be overspeeding and the owners will not give out their motorcycles without first fitting them with speed governors.
The government should also pass a law that no motorcycle should carry more than one passenger, all with necessary bike gear. All passengers and the driver should be fined at least Ksh 50,000 once caught in contravention of the law.
This will ensure that citizens remain cautious and even in cases of accidents, there will not be many casualties.
A law should also be passed to permanently revoke the licenses of any rider who is arrested drunk or causes accident by reckless riding and at least 1 year imprisonment of a rider caught with no license or revoked license.
Also, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) officers should also monitor and check the condition of boda bodas operating in every ward in regular monthly intervals and give a certificate of roadworthiness. This will ensure that all motorcycles are in good condition.
The government should also sponsor a crackdown on the counterfeit motorcycle spare part dealers. Many boda boda operators fall prey to counterfeit spare part dealers. The counterfeit spare parts wear and tear fast if not suffer malfunctioning, a considerable cause of boda boda accidents too.
The above should also be considered alongside the presidential decree on the boda boda operators business or else we not only continue experiencing indiscipline but also continue having more disabled generation, orphaned children, depressed society and impoverished future.
John Kariuki