In the wake of the Forest Green road incident where a woman was harassed and stripped by bodaboda riders, Kenyans shared their ordeals in the hands of other rogue operators.
In a Twitter thread by a tweeter dubbed Soko Analyst on Monday, March 7, Kenyans online recounted surviving harrowing experiences.
Some noted that rogue riders often demanded money after the accidents even when they were broke the law.
In his tweet, Soko Analyst narrated how a group of riders around Kahawa West, Nairobi County demanded Ksh30,000 after a rider hit his car. He recalled that after alighting from his vehicle to check on the rider, a group of his colleagues gathered around his car and robbed him of his personal belongings.
"The scene swarm with riders threatening me and issuing orders. They demanded I rush their friend to the hospital and that I pay him Ksh30,000 for damages. I was shocked. I tried to call cops but the riders snatched my phone," he narrated.
A majority of his tweeps noted that most of the riders would flee the scene immediately after the accident as they lacked driving licenses.
"There was a day one knocked me from behind and he fell on the highway. I was dumbfounded, he wanted to blame me for his recklessness. I quickly told him to show his license and park the bike. He picked his bike and fled," one Ker Besen stated.
These incidents, others noted, cut across the country. Steve Bosuben recounted how some group of boda boda burnt a car in an accident in Homa Bay town.
He detailed that the group turned rowdy after the bus driver failed to heed its demands.
"The nduthi mob burnt a whole Migori bound bus in Rongo town, yet the nduthi rider was careless. Luckily, the passengers scrambled out of the bus as tempers flared before the fire spread," Bosuben wrote.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Shadrack Otieno, a rider based in Kisumu, reprimanded his colleagues but defended the sector stating that not all riders are wrongdoers. He added that some of their groups were working closely with the police to regulate the sector.
"Some of us have started Chamas (Saccos) where we sensitise our colleagues on road safety and take part in other initiatives to help the community," he stated.
After the video of the incident went viral, Bodaboda Safety Association of Kenya (BAK) chairperson Kevin Mubadi issued a statement condemning the culprits behind the incident. He stated that they would continue with the registration of their members to curb such incidents.
“As BAK we have seen the video circulating online with riders harassing a lady allegedly involved in an accident. We condemn this act of hooliganism as a sector. We uphold the morals of society and respect women.
“We have also started full registration of riders to ensure everyone is registered and identified in order to remove criminals from our sector,” he stated.
President Uhuru Kenyatta joined Chief Justice, Martha Karua, Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang'i and other leaders in condemning the Forest Road incident.
Uhuru ordered a nationwide crackdown and re-registration of riders, and warned politicians from inciting the operators.
"A boda boda is not a licence to strip a woman and remove her dignity. There should never be a repeat of what happened. This is a blight on the whole Kenyan society," the President remarked.
