The Ministry of Interior and National Administration has partnered with the Boda Boda Safety Association of Kenya to rollout national registration of all operators in the country.
Through the partnership, the government plans to introduce a Boda Boda Information Management System (BIMS), to establish a database for the over two million boda boda operators in the country.
Boda Boda Safety Association National Chairman Kevin Mubadi said the partnership targets to weed out criminals who have infiltrated the sector.
All boda operators, he said will have to be registered in the system with details of their motorcycles also captured for effective monitoring of operations in the sector.
The exercise to be launched next month, he said targets all operators in the country and will go a long way in taming motorcycle theft which is rampant in the country.
“When a motorbike is stolen it will be easier to trace it even when it is sold thousands of kilometers away and this will go a long way in streamlining operations in the sector,” he said.
Genuine boda boda operators, he said were struggling to repay loans after their motorcycles were stolen.
“As we speak we have 60 motorbikes recovered in Kitale. I want to ask those who have fallen prey to this menace to go and identify them,” he said.
Speaking during a boda boda safety awareness meeting in Kisumu, Mubadi asked boda boda operators across the country to ensure they register when the exercise kicks off so that they don’t get into trouble with law enforcement officers.
The exercise, he said was beneficial to them adding that besides guaranteeing a secure environment to operate, the database will help them to access other empowerment programmes.
“We are about two million. If each one of us contributes Sh. 10 daily we can pull resources together to do greater things,” he said.
Kisumu Central Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Bosek Lang’at lauded the partnership saying it will go a long way in strengthening security across the country.
He challenged operators to remain vigilant and weed out criminals giving the sector a bad name as the government rolls out national wide registration.
The DCC said all boda boda operators should wear uniforms in order to distinguish themselves from criminals who use the mode of transport to terrorize innocent Kenyans.
Law enforcement agencies, he said will continue to partner with the sector’s leadership to ensure that law and order is maintained.
By Edwin Odhiambo and Fiona Kalunde
