Interior CS Dr. Fred Matiangi has explained the ongoing crackdown by the government on bodaboda operators was not meant to punish anyone but to streamline and bring back order in the sector.
Speaking on Wednesday in Nairobi at a meeting with bodaboda associations Matiangi said their focus as the government was to remove the wrong people who had infiltrated the business to give it a bad name.
”For every ten riders you have about eight of them are straightforward people who want to eke out a genuine living and move on and raise their families. Two or three of them are the ones who have infiltrated the sector,” the CS said and proceeded to give an example of the rogue matatu in Nairobi which was cleaned up for the good of the matatu sector.
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”Some years back the matatu sector was invaded including by Mungiki and then it became impossible to manage. We had to struggle as the government and reform this sector. Our focus as citizens is to remove the wrong people from amongst us,” he added.
On Tuesday, during World International Women’s Day Celebrations at the Kenya School of Government (KSG), President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered a nationwide crackdown on the boda boda operators and warned against the politicization of the directive.
“I have ordered a crackdown on all boda boda operators starting from Nairobi and moving all across the country,” he said.
“There is no government that has supported the boda boda sector like we have but this is not a license to ride on pavements causing obstruction and most definitely it’s not a license for you to strip and remove dignity from our women,” said President Kenyatta.
CS Matiangi vowed that a special task force will be formed to streamline the sector warning that stern action will be taken against anyone who will not comply with the reforms.
