Three MPs from Murang’a county have asked the government not to implement a proposal to have boda boda operators take comprehensive insurance covers.
Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata, Maragua MP Mary Waithera and her Kiharu counterpart Ndindi Nyoro said most boda boda riders are young people struggling to eke a living and cannot afford the cover.
The trio noted that the boda boda sector was started by former President Mwai Kibaki in a bid to create employment opportunities for youths.
They said such proposals risk making the sector too expensive for youths to engage in and reverse the gains made in the sector over the years.
The leaders were speaking at Kimorori grounds in Maragua on Saturday during a ceremony in which about 2,000 boda boda riders were issued with driving licences after undergoing training.
They said the government should establish a Global Boda Boda Insurance Fund that will cater for the riders and their passengers when they are involved in accidents.
“The government has used up billions to empower other sectors. It should do the same thing with boda bodas to empower them and safeguard their livelihoods,” Ndindi said.
He noted that even though as a Jubilee MP he supports all government agendas, he will not support a proposal that will serve to further harden Kenyans’ lives.
“As a hustler MP who is from a disadvantaged background and even educated himself, I will rally MPs to not support the proposal,” he added.
He said riders should not even be paying levies to the county government as what they contribute is too meagre and can be catered for by the national government.
“I do not support Rotich’s proposal. The government can set up a kitty that will be paying for the riders,” Kang’ata said.
Waithera, on her part, said the sector mostly serves the low cadre members of the society who heavily rely on boda bodas for transport.
