Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.

THERE is a total chaos everywhere. Traffic Police are working under pressure to contain the excesses of thousands of boda boda motorbike taxis in towns, marketplaces, trading centers, and in the villages.

Some of the drivers do their work while under the influence of alcohol – – visiting death on other users of the roads.

The majority of the motor bike taxis riders have no driver’s licenses. Their machines are lacked registration number plates, insurance, and road licenses. Some have been known to be using thorax in while on duty.

In Kisii, a small but fast growing town in Western Kenya, there are close to 6000 boda boda motor bike taxis. A day hardly passes without a fatal accident caused by these motorbike taxi drivers.

And two weeks ago, the Kisii Municipality came out with a bold plan. It would require motor bike taxis to have their own reserved parking space in the town, else be ordered out of the busy Central Business District {CBD}. The motorbike taxis men would not hear of this. They staged a protest in which they erected road blocks using burning tyres, heavy logs, and stones, to stop other motorists from accessing the CBD area for business.

The Council, in this matter, had the support and full backing of the local MPs who included Hon Richard M Onyonka, the MP for Kitutu Chache constituency, which forms the part of the town. But the whole day was lost, because the motor bike taxis riders retaliated by throwing missiles at the police and the few Council askaris whom were trying to implement the Council directives.

The next day, the battle between the motor bike boda boda taxis took place in Kuresoiu a small farming town in the South Rift region, which has a relatively smaller number of motor bike taxis (estimated to be around 600). These men blocked the roads and violently protested against the presence of traffic police on most of the roads they were using in ferrying passengers to the villages.

The boda boda men alleged that they were being asked for bribe money by the traffic police officers. But our investigation has found their claims to be unsupported. The policemen, manning check-points on most of the roads in the area, were only insisting that the drivers must wear helmets and make sure they were armed with the second spare helmet as required by the law for the protection of the passengers.

The policemen were also asking for road licenses and insurance certificates as well as driving licenses. The majority of the boda bodas taxis do not have these prerequisite documents. And when booked for committing traffic offenses related to these regulations, they ganged up and tried to arm-twist the police, who in turn stood their ground.

The motor bikes and bicycles boda boda menace is almost everywhere in Western Kenya. There are claims that these small motor bike machines are also used by hard-core criminals as an easy way to attack traders and rides.

In Kendu-Bay, a young businessman Mr. Ongogo, who was dealing in the supplies of grains to local traders, was attacked at Oriang’ market by a gun-man riding a boda boda as Mr. Ongogo distributed maize flour meals to the shop-owners in the Market. Mr. Ongogo was shot twice in the chest and in the head. He died instantly and the motorbike men ransacked his pockets and rode of in high speed. The incident occurred in broad day light and was witnessed by hundreds of market goers.

Within the same vicinity, Kendu-Bay Division at a place called Akwakra near Mawego Roman Catholic Mission and Mawego Technical School, a young scientist who had just received his Phd degree and working with CDC sponsored Malaria Research Station based in the outskirt of Kisumu City was shot dead by unknown carjackers. They pursued him and his companion on a boda boda motorbike taxi.

The scientist was shot three time. His car was later recovered near Nyangweso Oluch Market on Rachuonyo-Homa-Bay border in Rangwe constituency. His passengers were driven around the whole night and abandoned at Kodera Forest in West Kasipul in Rachuonyo South District.

In Kisumu City a patrol station dealer who hired a boda boda motor bike taxi to take him to the bank one morning escaped death by a whisker but minus his money. But his boda boda driver was not as lucky. He was shot at with a pistol at a close range, fell off the machine, and died instantly. The incident took place near the Coca Cola Plant right in the middle of Kisumu Town.

The men who pursued them on a boda boda motor bike took the money and disappeared. But when they reached Nyalenda junction, the thugs abandoned the motor bike and hijacked a Matatu full of passenger. They drove a few kilometers and ordered passenger out of the van and drove off further to unknown destination.

The menace of bod boda motor bikes is visible everywhere in the region. The towns include Oyugis, Keroka, Suneka, Keumbu, Awendo, Sondu, Ahero, Rongo, Uriri, Ranen, Stella, Migori Rapogi, Ndhiwa, Siaya, Muhoroni, Mbita and Homa-Bay. Some of the drivers, according to impeccable sources, are getting trained only for one day, and the next day they begin the business even before getting familiar to the traffic regulations and roads signs.

In Muhoroni town, a retired Chief Omolo was hit by boda boda motor bike at a cross road as he was being carried in another. He died instantly when his head hit the tarmac. There are numerous deaths in Kisii Town, Kisumu City and in other places.

The only place where the boda boda motor bikes appeared to be well organized are Rongo, Siaya and Awendo Towns. In other places they pose a real menace to members of the public. Because the drivers themselves are not competent in riding, it is not unusual to see passengers falling off these bikes while in full speed.

In Kisii Town it has become increasingly difficult for pedestrians to walk along the town’s road owing to the menace of boda Boda motorbikes. And the drunken drivers are always ready to fight when accosted by either police or other motorists. Passage and enforcement of safety regulations should occur quickly so as to slow the killing of innocent people.

The motorbike boda boda drivers must be compelled to learn about the roads signs before they are allowed to drive their bikes on major roads This is the only way the industry, which has now employed so many young people, should be sustained. Many people agree that it is the cheapest mode of transportation in towns, but at a high cost in human lives. A day hardly passed before someone is killed in Kisumu and it environs in boda boda related deaths.

The Kisumu City Council and the police authorities should work together and earmark certain places as areas of operations for the Boda Boda motor taxis, bicycles etc. And strictly prohibit them from using any other street corner for a parking bay or for picking passengers.

Traders involved in the sales of new motorbikes, should also be placed under tight scrutiny by police to ensure that they sell these kinds of bikes only to licensed drivers.

There must be some order brought to the trade. The police must ensure that the boda boda drivers operate within the law, even if it means cracking down on them in a major police dragnet to enforce the law. Even those drivers in the pera-urban areas like Manyatta, Nyalenda, Kondele, Pand Pieri and Dunga must be compelled to follow the traffic rules.

Many drivers on Dunga road are known to be under the intoxication of “Chang”aa and drive their bikes under the influence of alcohol at times in total disregards to the traffic rules.

The Boda Boda motorbike taxis must work under tight regulation and must not be allowed to operate after 8.p.m. This is the time when they are known to be ferrying gun-men to visit and rob members of the people at public joints as they are relaxing. Their operations must start only at 7.am and ends up and 7 p.m. The same should apply to the bicycle taxis.

The Boda Boda motorbike taxis drivers must also be compelled to produce the certificate of good conduct before they are allowed into the business. This will reduced the rate of crime drastically and make it safe for members of the public hiring these bikes in the evening and even during day times.

It is estimated that the combined motorbike and bicycle boda boda taxis operating in Kisumu City alone is a high as 5000 young drivers. Therefore, the industry is becoming much stronger. So stringent regulation must be put in place for its smooth operations under the laws of the land.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com