•Matiang'i said the registration will take place at all Huduma centres in the country.
•He says the sector must rid of rogue operators.
Image: FILE
President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered a waiver of the Sh5,800 registration fee for bodaboda operators in the country.
The operators have 60 days from March 21 to register their motorcycles, form SACCOs and obtain smart licenses for them to be in business.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i said the president had directed the waiver of the fee to ensure no one has an excuse not to register and be compliant.
“It is better to forgo the revenue for a clean sector. We can wait to have them in and ensure the sector is clean,” he said.
There are about 2.4 million boda boda riders in the country.
He added that all Huduma Centres across the country will register the riders. They will need to have certificates of good conduct and join a Sacco as part of the vetting process.
“If you do not have an identification document, all the concerned parties will be at the centres to enable you to get it,” he said.
He made the remarks Wednesday when he met a group of bodaboda riders in Nairobi.
The riders’ leaders apologized for bad incidents that have been reported involving the operators and vowed to ensure discipline reigns henceforth.
The move comes days after a group of operators were captured on camera sexually molesting a female motorist along Wangari Maathai road in Nairobi.
Matiang'i directed regional commissioners to hold monthly sessions with the operators to know their problems.
He said the sector is one of the most abused by politicians and urged the operators to avoid such scenarios.
Matiang'i said the government is keen to help the sector to grow in a genuine manner.
“I formed a bodaboda task force but some of our political friends hijacked the recommendations and started spending negative energy on it. Our intention was to reform the sector for the good of everyone.”
President Kenyatta Tuesday ordered a crackdown on rogue bodabodas across the country.
He, at the same time, warned against politicising the issue by 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,” he said.
He said he had given instructions and ordered a crackdown on bodaboda operators in the country to address the menace.
He said the government has helped the industry grow more than any other through various measures, including reduced purchase prices.
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.”
Police launched an operation and arrested more than 400 riders and detained 900 motorcycles in the city alone. Some 200 of them were fined Sh35,000 each for blocking other road users and driving on pavements.
And following the incident, President Kenyatta is said to have Monday night ordered the fresh registration of all bodaboda operators in the country.
He gave the instructions to Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and his transport counterpart James Macharia.
Inspector General of police Hilary Mutyambai chaired a meeting of top police commanders to plan the crackdown in the country.
A signal was dispatched to instruct the crackdown as officials from National Transport and Safety Authority moved in to start the registration process.