• Coast Riders Association is an ambassador of Polio and has been working with the Rotary Club to raise funds to fight the disease.
• They say notion that riders are hooligans is misleading, association comprises some top government officials.
An association of riders at the Coast has unveiled a plan to hold an annual racing event to promote sports tourism.
The bikers who have a network all over Kenya and East Africa said the annual bike racing aims at visiting all tourism attraction sites to boost the sector and attract bikers to participate in the sport.
The bikers own powerful engine motorbikes ranging from 400 CC horsepower to over 2,000 CC which enable them to ride for long distances at a high speed.
The Coast Riders Association is an ambassador of Polio and has been working with the Rotary Club to raise funds to fight the disease.
Apart from that, the bikers want to end the notion that riders are hooligans but 'people with due respect who include top government officials, doctors, lawyers among other professionals in love with riding'.
The more than 50 Coast riders raced from December 12 to 14 starting in Kwale in the South Coast to Kilifi and Mombasa counties.
Association's chairman Ali Fedha said they are on a mission to market the region as the best tourism destination.
Speaking in Malindi on Friday, he said there were other areas within the resort towns which are little known and through their efforts, they will make both local and international tourists visit them.
"Domestic tourism is taking root now and people from upcountry need to know there are some areas which you can visit apart from other places that are commonly known," he said.
Kilifi county assembly Speaker Jimmy Kahindi, who is a member of the association, said the bikers can be used to promote the tourism sector since many people get excited about them.
"As we speak, there is an event going on in Elementaita and people are generating local income, we don't have to wait for white people to come," he said.
Kahindi said they are planning bigger events for riders across the country which will go along way to promote tourism.
Association vice chairman Simon Aloo AKA Black Water said they want to emulate Europe by riding as a sport which he said is a major tourist attraction.
In Kenya, he said there are bikers from Kisumu, Nairobi, Mombasa and others from Uganda and Dar es Salaam "who will promote tourism if they come together".
"What we want to do is to first bring ourselves together, right now we have our brothers called Ninety Niners from Nairobi who have come and really supported us. Others called Lake Siders who could not make it due to other commitments but they have really supported us on social media," he said.
Aloo said from next year, they want to make it an annual event engage other bikers from Nairobi.
He said if at least 1,000 riders take part in the event, Mombasa hotels will get income.
He also said the notion that bikers are hooligans is misleading.
The bikers were on Friday denied access from Malindi Marine Park after authorities claimed they did not a formal application.
Edited by R.Wamochie