A female attendant working with a petrol station located along the Eldoret-Iten Highway found herself in a challenging situation when 3 men on a boda boda fueled up and fled without making any payment.
The incident captured by CCTV cameras at the petrol station depicted the trio making their way inside the station and engaging the attendant, who was at the time attending to another customer.
Moments after attending to the previous customer, she approached the rogue persons and filled their tank with Ksh2,000 worth of fuel.
However, as she returned the pump to the dispenser, the rider swiftly started the engine, attempting to flee.
In a desperate attempt to claim the dues, the attendant found herself forced to run after the escaping culprits.
Springing into action, the attendant managed to grab hold of one of the passengers, compelling the motorcycle to come to a halt. Fearless and determined, she confronted the trio, demanding payment, drawing the attention of onlookers in the vicinity.
Despite the confrontation, the suspects remained resolute in their refusal to pay and hastily made their escape through an alternate route, nearly running over the fuel attendant in the process.
Undeterred, she and a colleague pursued the fleeing trio, but regrettably, their efforts fell short, leaving them frustrated and furious.
This incident is part of a concerning trend where motorists flee petrol stations without paying after fueling, putting attendants at a disadvantage.
Kenyans commenting online have condemned this behaviour, urging petrol stations to adopt a pay-first policy to prevent customers from escaping without settling their bills.
Others recommend that petrol station managements should consider installing barriers at exits, which would only open after customers have completed their payments. This added security measure, most argue, will discourage such tendencies.
Additionally, others revealed that in some petrol stations, the driver is asked to alight while the car is being fuelled to discourage the behaviour.
"She should have asked them to switch off the engine, these people were ready to run," one online user commented.
Moreover, Kenyans are cautioned about the heightened risk associated with boda boda riders, who have acquired a negative reputation due to a surge in criminal activities, including robbery.
Compounding the issue is the observation that some motorcycles operate without proper number plates, posing a challenge for law enforcement in effecting arrests.
Additionally, there are cases where boda boda riders use false number plates, further complicating matters and potentially resulting in the unjust arrests of innocent people.
