Ichung'wah dismisses bill seeking stricter rules for boda boda operators

National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah/HANDOUT

National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah has dismissed a Bill sponsored by Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale that seeks to instill stricter rules for boda boda operators.

Speaking on Saturday, Ichung’wah said that he had asked the Senator to do away with the Public Transport (Motorcycle Regulation) Bill, insisting that it will not pass in the National Assembly.

He stated that it is only right if the laws are made in collaboration with the stakeholders who will be directly affected.

In the case of boda boda, the legislator said working together would help solve the few challenges that exist in the sector.

“I have told Senator Khalwale to take it back to his house; I don’t see it going anywhere.

“The chairman of Boda Boda has said it is only right when we are making laws we start with the main stakeholders, and in the boda boda sector, with the little challenges that exist, we can work together and craft a law that is responsive to the problems that are there,” Ichung’wah said.

Boda boda operators have strongly opposed the proposed law aimed at regulating the motorcycle transport sector, warning that if passed, it will devastate livelihoods and disrupt one of Kenya’s most crucial economic engines.

Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Infrastructure in July, the Boda Boda Safety Association of Kenya (BAK) dismissed the Bill as punitive, exploitative, and detached from the realities of thousands of riders who hustle daily to survive.

The Bill proposes the introduction of a number of regulations touching on registration, operation, and management of the sector at the county level.

It also proposes the establishment of a County Motorcycle Transport and Safety Board, which will oversee rider registration, training, and operations of boda boda operators.

All operators in the country will be required to join a SACCO in addition to undergoing mandatory training, which will cover safety, etiquette, and emergency response.

The Bill further proposes hefty fines, including a Sh200,000 penalty for any boda boda rider caught riding on a pedestrian walkway, and Sh100,000 fine or a one-year prison sentence for boda boda riders who collude with others to harm someone.