President William Ruto’s advisor, Makau Mutua, has come under criticism from Kenyans after calling for the removal of tuk-tuks from Nairobi Roads.
On Thursday, September 18, Mutua said in a statement posted on his official X account that the three-wheeled vehicles are not mechanically capable of manoeuvring through the nation's capital. Mutua claims that tuk-tuks endanger urban order, aesthetics, and the safety of other drivers and road users.
"What are Tuk Tuks doing in Nairobi? Am I missing something? These pathetic contraptions aren’t roadworthy and must not be allowed to further degrade Nairobi. Sad," Mutua stated.
His comments, however, quickly sparked outrage online, with many Kenyans claiming that he did not respect people who depend on tuk-tuks for their livelihood.
Some argued that such comments from a senior advisor to the president did not align with President Ruto's Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which focuses on uplifting ordinary Kenyans, especially those in small businesses.
"What happened to bottom-up? Respect every hustle; those are the people keeping the system running. Without hard-working people, your privileges wouldn’t exist," one Kenyan commented.
"A professor in the Hustler government calling tuk-tuks pathetic is like a fisherman insulting worms, forgetting that’s the very bait that got him on the hook of power. Suddenly looking down on the most visible symbol of hustle," another one said.
Other than tuk-tuks, Mutua has recently expressed his opposition to the presence of boda bodas in Nairobi and other towns across the country.
Tuk-tuks and boda bodas, which are widely used for short-distance transport, have gained popularity in Nairobi and other cities and towns, especially due to their affordability and ease of navigation through traffic compared to other public transport, such as matatus.
In a statement on Thursday, July 17, Mutua stated that the presence of boda bodas in towns is a key reason for traffic chaos within these cities. Makau, who termed these vehicles as "unnecessary", said that they destroyed the aesthetics of the cities and towns.
"I am convinced that all boda bodas should be banned from the streets of all of Kenya’s major cities and towns. No modern city should tolerate such chaos, illegality, terrible aesthetics, and indiscipline on its roads. Absolutely Unacceptable,'' Mutua alleged.
After these comments, Kenyans castigated Mutua, claiming that he should not blame the 'chaos' on boda boda operators but on the government, which has not developed strategies to fix traffic congestion across towns.
Three weeks later, President Ruto dismissed proposals to ban boda bodas from all major cities and towns across the country, stressing that they played a key role in his ascent to power in the 2022 general elections.
Ruto, who spoke during a meeting with national leaders of boda bodas at State House, Nairobi, on Thursday, August 7, claimed that he will remain firm in empowering the operators.
"In the past election, two groups were at the centre of ensuring leaders got elected: boda bodas and mama mbogas. There is nobody who should threaten the boda boda business," Ruto stated.
