The Association of Boda boda riders in Nyahururu town has vowed to work with the police to identify rogue operators that are conspiring with thieves to steal from people.
Speaking in Nyahururu town, the boda boda chairman John Theuri said that they are ready to pinpoint those bad people hiding in the industry in a bid to protect their source of income.
“In this industry, there are good and bad people like in any other industry. The thieves always prefer boda bodas because they are easy to acquire and can access many areas easily unlike a car,” Theuri said.
“We are always ready to work with the police to ensure that we get rid of those bad people that are tainting the image of our business. We have always shared information severally with the Kenya police and other administrations and we have seen it work. We are not going to stop until sanity is restored,” he added.
He at the same time expressed regret that many thieves and other bad people have always found solace in the industry either as operators or as impersonators.
A rider identified as Shadrack Mambo said that the industry easily harbours thieves because of the nature of their riding gear.
“Many of us boda boda riders put on heavy clothing and helmet and another issue is that our number plates are small compared to car number plates so it is not easier to identify a number plate easily,” said Mambo.
“Moreover, the helmets are used to hide people’s faces. We have our shades and terminals but many thieves will not stop at those shades they are always moving,” he added.
He said that they are always ready to warn their fellow riders who are involved in crimes and at the same time ready to give information to the administration in order to protect the industry.
Another rider, identified as Robin Macharia who doubles up as an electrician said that it is unfortunate that many criminals get it easier to hide in the boda boda industry unlike other industries.
He said that this will only make them be profiled by other people and thus lose business.
“I am an electrician and a part time boda boda operator. It is unfortunate that some people are also thieves on the side. This will make people and especially motorists hate us more,” he said.
“At the moment, when you are approaching a group of people and especially women they are looking suspiciously at you thinking you will snatch their bags. We are ready to work with the police to identify those that we suspect to be thieves,” he added.
Nyahururu town has been having a trend of increased robberies and house break-ins, especially towards the December holidays.
By Antony Mwangi
