Interior CS Fred Matiang'i has intensified the efforts to rein in on the boda boda sector which has remained largely unregulated.
In a post on his social media platforms on Thursday, January 30, Matiang'i indicated that he had received a task force report that might lead to massive changes in the motorbike sector.
"I have received the report of the Boda Boda Task Force detailing challenges facing the subsector. Our next step is to hold a National Consultative Forum to work out practical solutions with a view to protecting thousands of Kenyans to whom the industry is a source of livelihood," he wrote.
Matiang'i's sentiments were echoed by the Ministry of Interior in a separate post announcing that NTSA and the relevant stakeholders would also be roped in to ensure the recommendations were deliberated upon.
"The National Transport and Safety Authority will convene a National Consultative Forum for stakeholders to review the report of the Boda Boda Task Force.
"This will pave way for the implementation of the team's recommendations to enhance safety for Kenyans who depend on the sector for legitimate economic activities," the ministry posed.
CS Matiang'i formed the Boda Boda Task Force on March 15, 2019, to gather data regarding the safety, reliability, cost and other matters of interest to users of public service motorcycle services.
The decision had been necessitated by data which estimated that there were 700,000 motorcycles in 2018 and that the number could rise to one million by the year 2020.
Matiang'i also lamented about the rise in criminal incidences associated with boda boda operators as well as the blatant disregard for traffic laws which posed a danger to other road users.
“Some boda boda riders have been abetting criminal activities and distributing drugs at night. They have decided to be a law unto themselves. It has become a monster that if we don’t act, we will lose our society,” Matiang'i noted.
