The Boda Boda safety association of Kenya has called for total withdrawal of the senate Public Transport Motorcycle Regulation) Bill of 2023, sponsored by Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, terming it as punitive and discriminatory.
The bill now moved to the national assembly proposes a sweeping overhaul that would require boda boda owners to enter into written contracts with their riders, detailing payment structures, working hours, and conditions of employment.
The national executive chairman of the boda boda safety association of Kenya Kevin Mbadi says the association and other stakeholders were not consulted further terming the formulation of the bill as nugatory for violating the law making process.
“When you look at the constitution of Kenya there must be public participation, and we as the stakeholders must be engaged to see how we can work together to bring policies and laws that support the sector.”
‘‘By these laws, we are not going to accept it. We are rejecting it totally” the chairman stated.
Kenya’s boda boda sector, comprising over three million motorcycles, has employed millions of young men in both urban and rural areas.
However, the industry has been blotted by rising criminal activity, reckless riding, and fatal accidents. The government has long struggled to impose order, looking to Rwanda’s highly regulated motorcycle taxi sector as a model