Devolution Principal Secretary Charles Sunkuli has challenged the boda boda riders in Narok County to join Sacco groups in a bid to empower themselves economically.
Speaking at the William Ole Ntimama Stadium after he opened a boda boda office in Narok town on Tuesday, Sunkuli said cooperative movement would boost the livelihoods of the youth as they will easily access loans to expand their businesses.
“When saving in the Sacco, you are creating a bright future because you can easily access loan to buy your own motorbike or replace an old one,” he said.
The PS who was accompanied by the Boda Boda Safety Association of Kenya Chairman Kevin Mubadi reiterated that the Government has the interest of all boda boda operators at heart as they contribute a big chunk of money to the National cake.
“I am informed that the boda boda sector contributes Sh27 billion to the economy every year. This means that you are very important people and that the government is willing to empower you,” he said.
At the same time, Sunkuli urged the county government to empower young riders by building for them parking shades for variating weather conditions experienced in Narok.
He observed that the county collects about Sh3 million every month from the boda boda sector saying the devolved unit should reciprocate this kind gesture by building them shades.
“All counties should have parking shades for boda boda riders. I propose that the county government builds 40 such shades in Narok town as the metropolis has over one thousand riders,” said Sunkuli.
At the same time, fees charged to boda boda operators should be uniform across counties to avoid instances where some of the regions could be exploiting innocent youth who may not be aware of their rights.
“I am not saying that you should not pay but we are saying we pay something small because Counties too need money,” reiterated the PS.
The PS donated three computers to local boda boda operators to enable them to digitize their contributions for security purposes.
On his part, the National Boda Boda chairman advised Narok operators to join the Sacco so that they can benefit from any funding that the Government offers.
He said the Sh10 they contributed everyday will help their members in case of an accident or injury while on duty.
“We want to unite so that we can help one another in case of injury. We are over one million riders in the country and when we contribute Sh10 per day, it will help us build a strong Sacco that can help our members in case of need,” said Mubadi.
The Boda Boda chairman asked the sector to support the government’s programmes aimed at nation building including the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) and the Huduma Namba.
By Ann Salaton
