The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) have partnered with other stakeholders to help boda boda and Digital taxi drivers save for their future life and that of their families.
In the collaboration, the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) will be the lender to the informal sector, Safaricom will have the role of providing technology while Proto energy will provide fuel for the taxi cars.
A draft bill that was tabled in the senate by Nairobi Senator, Johnson Sakaja seeks to address the plight of digital taxi drivers, boda boda riders on how their money will be remitted to haba haba at NSSF.
Parliamentary Labour relations committee Chairman, Senator Sakaja said that by the end of March 2020 they will have finished implementations of the regulations.
“We have 18 million people in informal sectors who need knowledge and understanding on the benefit of the haba haba scheme,” added Sakaja.
Speaking on Monday at a Nairobi hotel, Sakaja urged the relevant bodies to renew focus to its people in informal sector so that they can cope up in the digital world in doing their businesses.
Sakaja noted that there are widows all over due to boda boda related deaths and with KCB on board it will cater for the last respect and insurance.
“With the involvement of Safaricom we will reach out to many boda boda and digital taxi drivers so as to educate and initiate the product to them,” said Sakaja.
Sakaja added that there is need to focus on the informal sector so as to achieve the Big Four agenda.
“When we put in place the regulations, contribution to NSSF will be mandatory,” said Sakaja.
Sakaja also had a message to the police officers to stop harassing and arresting boda boda people and detaining their boda bodas’ while demanding more than Sh.30,000 to release them.
The NSSF Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Omerikwa said that their mandate is to ensure a guaranteed and bright future for the people.
“We have 18 million people in informal sector and only 300, 000 have registered with NSSF,” said Omerikwa.
“We will make sure our people have a pleasant livelihood after retirement,” added Omerikwa.
Omerikwa said that in investment NSSF is partnering up with KCB, Safaricom and Proto gas which is crucial to the informal sectors.
According to Omerikwa, this initiative will be rolled out to other counties once launched out officially in January 2020.
The KCB head of Micro Banking, Zacharia Cheruiyot said that they have more than one milion account holders from the informal sectors.
Cheruiyot affirmed that KCB will enable the informal sector do business through a loan that one can access without necessarily going to the bank.
“We will offer business oriented trainings to our customers in the informal sector and provide insurance through KCB insurance,” added Cheruiyot.
Cheruiyot said that on the insurance aspect there will be a personal insurance cover, last respects cover and a business cover.
“We start with the online tax drivers then move to the other sector,” said Cheruiyot.
By David Musungu
