The government has given boda boda operators 90 days to ensure that they are fully registered with the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and issued with driving licences.
Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho on Monday said that the government has partnered with the National Youth Service and NTSA to conduct free motorcycle riding classes and issue driving licences.
Speaking in Nairobi at a symposium hosted by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) in partnership with the Boda Boda Safety Association of Kenya, the PS stated that after the three months, the government will begin a crackdown on those who will not have complied.
Kibicho further noted that there are currently over 2.5 million registered motorcycles in the country, 1.4 million of which are operating as boda bodas.
In Monday’s event, representatives of the 1.2 million boda boda riders signed a commitment with the NCIC binding their members to ensure peaceful elections by resisting incitement to violence in political rallies and during the 2022 General Election.
NCIC Chairperson Samuel Kobia, on his part, urged boda boda operators to resist being used by politicians to perpetuate violence.
“We call on all boda boda riders and Kenyans in general to refuse to be used as goons for hire. Turn down senseless offers from politicians & their cohorts to be used as amplifiers of hate messages & executors of violence,” said Kobia.