A meeting by the Boda boda Association to discuss the government’s proposal to have riders pay insurance on Wednesday turned chaotic after officials accused the chair of signing memoranda with insurance companies.
Kevin Mubadi, who is the national chair for Boda Boda Safety Association of Kenya (Bake), was reportedly accused of promising insurance companies millions of shillings if they partnered with the organisation.
Kenneth Onyango, the secretary general of Bake, exchanged blows with boda-boda officials immediately after making the accusation while addressing the press at a Nairobi hotel where the meeting took place.
“There are people who are purporting to be national leaders. Kevin has been going all over the place saying that he is the national chairman for boda-boda. He is signing a memorandum with all insurance companies and telling them how they are going to get millions of business.”
“He is saying that he has one million members. We have 1.3 million members who are boda-boda riders. He is lying that the county leaders have been called for this meeting. I have seen some at Jevanjee at ‘Bunge la wananchi’. We have come here to dispute,” Onyango angrily said.
According to Onyango, at least 60 per cent of riders countrywide have insurance but a few with comprehensive which are expensive.
Before the meeting was disrupted, county chairmen assured the government that they shall not accept the Sh 12,000 comprehensive insurance cover.
Currently, boda boda operators pay roughly Sh9,000 comprehensive cover for the motorcycle and Sh7,000 personal liability cover.
They accused the government of not being concerned on the riders needs.
“I urge the government to drop the insurance proposal for an easy livelihood. Some of the insurance company do not even compensate us,” one of the chairmen said.
During the Parliament budget reading on June 14, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich proposed a bill that every bodaboda operator must have to take the third party covers, that includes additional insurance costs to their passengers.
He said accident victims mostly from the lower cadres of society, are left to seek financial assistance for treatment from friends and relatives since these boda-bodas are not insured.
The Boda boda association said brokers would take advantage of the proposal and charge the policies at a higher rate.
They urged insurance authorities to come up with policies that are more straight forward for the sake of illiterate riders.
“We should go to the ground and see where our members are, collect their problems, know as an insurance company how the product will benefit them all.”
“Rotich’s proposal should be looked at proportionally and be addressed that insurance cover every bodaboda rider must have a comprehensive cover. I have 80 per cent of cases in court that have now hit five years that have never been paid,” Onyango said.
