Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has proposed to withdraw the Public Transport (Motorcycle Regulation) Bill 2023 following an uproar from the riders who termed it an attempt to suppress their livelihoods.
Speaking to the press, the senator explained that he sponsored the bill to regulate the boda boda industry which is notorious for flouting traffic laws.
He proposed policies in the bill to reduce the fatality rate and restore sanity to the sector.
“I have a record that extends over 20 years of listening to the common mwananchi. In the past, many youths in the boda boda sector have lost their lives and I deemed it fit to introduce regulations to reduce the fatality rate on the road,” Khalwale said.
“They are also not compensated under the Work Injury Benefits Act.”
He argued that the bill was not to oppress the youths but to safeguard their future. Further, Khalwale pointed out that the conversations around the bill were politicised to paint him in bad light with the people.
“Critics of the bill politicised it to the point of turning the youth against me. Tomorrow, I will formally write to the Senate and National Assembly Clerks, seeking the proposed legislation’s withdrawal,” he added.
The bill sought to introduce regulations such as boda riders registering with the county government and a sacco, installing a tracking device on their motorcycles and having valid employment contracts with the owners.
The bill also proposed fines such as a Ksh.20,000 penalty for anyone caught riding on a pedestrian walkway and a Ksh.100,000 fine or a one-year jail term for boda boda riders who gang up with others to either threaten or harm another person.
Once the bill was tabled in the National Assembly, the Boda Boda Association of Kenya threatened nationwide protests should the MPs pass the bill.
“Mtu yeyote atadhubutu kupitisha hiyo bill, nyumbani direct! Sisi hata hatutangojea hiyo 2027, tuko tayari! Na sisi ndio serikali namba tatu, tuko na national government, county government, na boda boda government,” said BSAK Nairobi Chairman Samuel Waraga.
By Kenyans