- The officers were told to file daily the number of arrests made, motorbikes detained, rides taken to court, fines realized, number of motorbikes inspected, those unroadworthy, and those serviceable.
- President Kenyatta warned against politicising the issue by claiming that the government is targeting small businesses
Image: FILE
Police involved in the ongoing operation against rogue bodaboda operators have been directed not to harass those not in the business.
Deputy Inspector General of Kenya police Edward Mbugua told the commanders in the field not to arrest those involved in legal courier services.
“This operation should not be used to harass other motorbike owners who are not involved in bodaboda business like those operating courier services,” said Mbugua in a memo to his commanders.
Mbugua told the commanders to mount the operation in all counties and that all owners and operators must be registered with a safety association.
“Any offence detected like motorbike without insurance or rider without valid road license will be subject to court process.”
The officers were told to file daily the number of arrests made, motorbikes detained, riders taken to court, fines realized, number of motorbikes inspected, those unroadworthy, and those serviceable.
On Wednesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered a countrywide operation to target the operators following an incident where a female motorist was molested in an attack along Wangari Maathai Road.
He, at the same time, warned against politicising the issue, claiming that the government is targeting small businesses.
“It is a disheartening thing to see and it’s only one among many others that have occurred across this country,” the president said.
Kenyatta said he knows some people will try to politicize the issue and claim the government is hurting small business people in the country.
He said the operators will be registered afresh as part of efforts to streamline the industry.
"A bodaboda is not a licence to strip a woman. There should never be a repeat of what happened on Friday. This is a blight on the whole Kenyan society.”
In Nairobi, it was a cat and mouse game between some of the operators and security agencies who sought to detain them.
The riders on Tuesday stayed away from the central business district as the operation went on.
Some 425 bodaboda operators were Tuesday arrested in the ongoing operation in the city. Police say they detained 925 motorcycles in the operation that started on Monday evening.
The operation is ongoing in the city after a group of riders were captured on video harassing and molesting a female motorist along Wangari Maathai Road. Some 200 of them were charged in court and fined Sh35,000 each.
At least 16 riders linked to the March 4 incident were Wednesday expected in court to face charges of robbery with violence and sexual abuse.
Meanwhile, police are looking for another suspect who has been placed at the scene.
This is after the detectives narrowed down on the suspect identified as Zachariah Nyaora Obadia.
He ran away from his house in Mukuru Kaiyaba informal settlement through a sewer duct.
Police say the suspect has also been positively identified by his wife and other relatives sexually assaulting the victim in the widely shared videotape.
Police want him to surrender at DCI headquarters or the nearest Police station within 24 hours.
Equally, his accomplices who were within the vicinity of the barbaric attack, whether captured on the video clip or not, have all been identified forensically and have been ordered to surrender themselves at DCI headquarters.