THE BODA BODAS

From Nairobi City through to the remote village you can always see a boda boda (motorcycle/bicycle) rider standing and waiting for customers at places.  The boda bodas have spread slowly but steadily from Ugandan-Kenyan border to other regions and boda boda organizations have been founded in many towns. The spread could be due to unemployment as the youth are venturing into other means of sustaining themselves and the boda boda business doesn’t need much funds to start.

Initially the boda bodas were mainly bicycles but nowadays the bicycles are more and more replaced by motorbikes. 

One may wonder why Boda Bodas didn’t have road safety rules and yet they have caused so many accidents.  Whichever way you look at it fatalities from boda boda more especially motorcycle accidents have been on a sharp increase, most of them never go to any training school to learn how to ride, they just borrow a motorbike from their friends who already own one and within two to three days someone is on the road carrying passengers. With most passengers unaware of this they fall to prey as they entrust their lives on these unqualified riders. 

Benefits of Boda Bodas

It cannot be denied that boda bodas have some advantages, as they are convenient and they have provided jobs to thousands of youths. However these benefits have blinded us from the big picture which is that if not controlled, hospitals will continue to be filled with accident victims and the traffic situation will get out of hand.

The Government’s Efforts to Curb the Menace

It is a good thing that the government through the National Transport and Safety Authority has come up with road safety rules for boda bodas that took effect on Saturday 9^th August 2014. In this case, the law places responsibility on motorcycle owners, riders and passengers, who also risk imprisonment for six months. The riders are not supposed to carry more than one passenger and are supposed to operate from 5a.m to 11p.m.  No boda boda shall operate within the center of Business District of any city or town center of any town. Both rider and passenger will be required to wear helmets and reflective. Passengers will be required to sit astride in the fixed seat behind the rider’s seat.

I know the regulation of sitting astride override the one that Kisumu North ward representative had proposed that women in Kisumu County should not sit astride while riding boda boda claiming that the sitting position was uncultured and deprived women of respect because they expose their bodies to men.  But I believe sitting astride makes sense as it gives better balance by distributing weight and therefore it is not easy to fall off the bike more especially on bumpy roads.

I hope the rules will curb the menace that has been rampant as the motorbikes flout traffic rules with wanton abandon.  It is as if they had become the law unto themselves, contravening the traffic laws with impunity. They even pass on footbridges and pavements where pedestrians are supposed to walk. They never observe traffic lights.  When other motorists are waiting for pedestrians to pass a motorbike just comes from nowhere and one can easily be knocked down.  They would ride with little regard for other road users.  They are fond of riding on the wrong side of the road. Road safety is key and we hope that every road user observes that.