The Youths from Baringo are set to get new motorcycle rider’s license after the County Government embarked on a plan to sponsor them for driving classes in a bid to reduce road carnage.
The youth drawn equally from the County’s six sub counties will be trained by Bartek driving school in a move aimed at enhancing safety for the rider and the passenger.
Speaking during the handing over of interim licenses to the first 100 batch in Kabartonjo, Baringo North Sub-county, area Governor, Stanley Kiptis said his administration had taken the initiative to support 600 riders every year.
“If you go to the hospitals, you will find many patients who got injured in motorcycle accidents and it is in that regard that we have taken this decisive step to reduce such accidents,” said Governor Kiptis.
He said through the training, the operators would get expert advice and it would help in reducing incidences of boda boda accidents.
The Governor also called on Members of Parliament to support the initiative through their National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF) saying the numbers of riders was huge and needed collaborative effort.
His executive in charge of Education, Sports, Culture and Youth challenged the female gender to also venture into the boda boda business, saying they were not represented in the sector.
The Department’s Chief Officer (CO), Ms. Gladys Kiseku said they were investing in the youth whose population in Baringo is 50 percent.
“Our aim is to empower the youth economically because if you empower the youth, you have empowered the entire community,” said the CO.
She also challenged the youth to be attending the public participation forum so that they could lobby for their interests to be allocated monies in the budget.
The beneficiaries of the programme thanked the county government for the gesture and requested that they help them to upgrade the licenses to driving ones so that they could drive motor cars.
They however cried foul on the directive that they be insured with a comprehensive insurance policy, saying the meagre income they earned from the business could not afford the cover.
They called on Interior Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Fred Matiang’i to back track on the directive saying it would impact negatively on the sector and lead the youths to crime.
The Baringo North Boda Boda Patron, Stanley Kipkechem called on the leaders to put their heads together and find a way to reduce unemployment among the youth in the county.
“Every year thousands of youths finish their secondary schools studies and they come back home with nothing to do. We are asking you governor to liaise with MPs and look for employment to help the youth,” said the patron.
By Christopher Kiprop
