State Department for Devolution Principal Secretary Julius Korir has noted that a good number of Boda Boda riders have already been enlisted in the ongoing registration of Boda Boda exercise, as the government cracks a whip against criminal activities that are associated with the sector.
PS Korir was speaking in Bomet Huduma Center where he supervised the ongoing registration of riders from across Bomet County, where 1,000 riders have been registered so far.
“We are here as part of the government exercise to register all boda boda riders in the country, in recent days due to lack of registration in the sector, criminal cases have increased in the boda boda business. We want to know who is operating legally in the industry and give them the required credentials,” explained PS Korir.
The PS also noted that people working in this sector are exposed to many work related risks, hence the government has put in place assorted services and health covers for them, and that they have to be registered in order to be beneficiaries.
The PS also urged the boda boda riders to take advantage of the Youth Funds grants provided by the government instead of going for other loans with higher interest rates from other lenders to finance the purchase of motorcycles.
The planned registration of around 2.5 million boda boda riders in the country was launched officially on March 28 in different Huduma Centres nationwide. The exercise is aiming at introducing reforms and regulating the sector in the wake of the sexual assault of a female motorist that happened in Nairobi.
Overseeing the exercise at Bomet Huduma Centre accompanied by area County Commissioner Suzan Waweru, the PS asserted that the move is aimed at streamlining the transport sub-sector and promoting road safety and security for the operators and their customers.
“The Government supports the boda boda subsector as it is a source of livelihood for the millions of youth in our country, however, reforms are necessary to ensure all Kenyans feel safe if they use boda boda,” observed PS.
Statistics from the National Transport and Safety Authority indicate that for the last five years, thousands of youthful riders have lost their lives through road accidents. It is estimated that 5,155 riders and 2,127 million passengers have lost their lives so far.
Through the registration initiative, each rider within a locality will be linked to a boda boda, its owner and the respective corporate societies or self-help groups.
According to the reform’s structure, corporate societies or self-help groups will be held responsible for their members’ failure to comply with laws and regulations.
Through this, the government can effectively regulate and weed out criminal elements in an area of operation.
This exercise will be conducted for 60 working days until June 24, 2022.
Qualified registered boda boda riders will be issued with a Smart Driving License within the period upon the processing of registration information.
The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) will provide 12 months of health cover to the first 200,000 licensed boda boda riders countrywide.
To register, riders have been instructed to present themselves in person and have an original ID card, a copy of the KRA PIN and an active registered phone number.
The registration process is facilitated through the 52 Huduma Kenya centres countrywide, the acquisition of the smart DL to all qualified riders will also take place during the 60 days.
By Lamech Arisa and Kipngeno Korir
