Christmas is an especially dangerous time for Busia boda bodas who are preyed on by thugs looking to make a quick shilling for the festivities.
This time around the industry has come up with rules to protect its members.
All boda boda riders are to ask for their clients’ identity card numbers before beginning a journey.
This is applicable to motorcyclists travelling long distances with customers they are not familiar with.
The riders will also be required to ask for a client's phone number so that in case of an attack, the boda boda association and security officers will know where to start looking.
“As an association, we would like to advise our members that we are entering the December festive season and this is a time when you will encounter some passengers with bad motives," said Erick Makokha, Busia County Boda Boda Association chairman.
"I want to caution our members that their lives matter more than the money they get from clients.”
He spoke on Sunday following the killing of a rider at Akiriamet on the Ang’urai-Moding road in Teso North subcounty on Saturday night.
He is said to have been approached by two men who asked to be taken to Moding from Malaba town.
By press time on Sunday, the body had not been identified as no identification documents were found on the rider.
His motorbike was stolen.
The rules are to be effected immediately and all riders are expected to comply.
In case a passenger declines to share their ID or phones number with the association, the rider with a client must be accompanied by a colleague on the journey.
“If we follow these rules it will be very easy for us, the association leaders, and the government to trace passengers who board motorcycles with bad intentions," Makokha said.
"I am appealing to our members; let us remain vigilant and be our brothers’ keepers.”
The Saturday night killing happened a day after people disguised as passengers tried to kill another rider on Kaijo-Adanya road in Kakurikit, Teso North.
“To our members, we are cautioning you to stop carrying more than one passenger at night,” Makokha said.
"If you have to carry more than one person, it is important to get company from your colleagues for security purposes even if it means sharing the money."
He urged riders who operate at night in urban areas to stop working in areas where there are no security lights.
Residents of Kakurikit called for the introduction of strict rules to govern the industry.
“The murders of innocent boda boda drivers need swift action by the chairmen of all stages. They need to discuss the security of their members," Alex Juma said.
"In the transport business you need to take the details of the passenger, including the name, national ID number, cellphone number and [these] should be posted on the boda boda stage WhatsApp groups.”
The industry has helped lessen the burden of youth unemployment.
Kakurikit sublocation assistant chief Julius Ekirapa said the attacks on the riders need to be contained before they get out of control.
“There is truly a monumental crisis in the boda boda sector that calls for a quick fix. If not stopped it will cause a devastating effect in our lifetime as this sector is one of the biggest employers in the country. Some bylaws ought to be adapted to restore sanity to the sector,” he said.
Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya
