•The main rapid drive starts on March 21 for two months.
•He said a recent report handed to him on the business showed up to 60 per cent of the 2.4 million riders in the country are not insured.
Image: FILE
The smart card licenses that will be issued to all bodaboda riders will have NHIF details of the holders.
This will enable the riders to get medical attention whenever they are involved in accidents, which have become a tall order to handle, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi said.
He said the smart cards have riders’ details and urged all concerned parties to support the new drive.
“They will now be able to access medical services. We will not be asked to contribute to anyone involved in accidents to clear their bills,” he said.
He vowed to ensure the planned reforms in the sector are implemented to the end.
“Some people are abusing Matiang'i, Kibicho, IG as if this is our agenda. We want to ensure a clean and responsible sector,” he said.
The CS said the bodaboda sector is one of the most critical areas in the country since it has offered millions of Kenyans a source of income.
He spoke Friday during a meeting with the Crime Journalists Association of Kenya in Nairobi.
He said not all bodaboda operators are criminals, pointing out that many of them depend on it to meet their daily needs, including food and school fees.
However, the interior CS defended the ongoing countrywide crackdown calling on politicians to avoid the politicization of the issue.
He said on average, there are 22 million rides by the riders and if one multiplies it by Sh50, which is the minimum fee they charge, it comes to more than Sh1 billion daily that is realized in the sector.
“This is a multi-billion sector and we are determined to make it a better place.”
He said the president had ordered the waiver of the registration fee of Sh5,800 for all those in the business to ensure all can be registered.
He said there are so far 250 SACCOs for the riders in the country and the registration is ongoing.
The main rapid drive starts on March 21 for two months and will be done at all Huduma Centres in the country.
Matiangi said the government will adopt the Rwanda system where all bodaboda riders will have jackets and helmets with visible tracking numbers.
He said a recent report handed to him on the business showed up to 60 per cent of the 2.4 million riders in the country are not insured.
More than 70 per cent of them are not trained on how to ride the motorcycles apart from the brief sessions they receive in estates and homes.
“There is no regulation on the sector and it is in a mess hence the need to conduct the mass registration and proper documentation. It is better to forgo the money for now and have a clean sector,” he said.
While applauding the riders, President Kenyatta said prevalent rogue behavior by the bodaboda riders cannot be condoned.
“So I have instructed the relevant law enforcement officers to use the instruments within the law to punish the culprits,” said the President.
This came days after a group of rogue riders attacked and molested a female driver along Wangari Maathai Road in Nairobi after an accident.