Makueni County Senatorial aspirant Patrick Malika Mbau has defended Boda Boda riders after the president announced a nationwide crackdown. Mbau also condemned the Forest Road incident where a lady was sexually assaulted by Boda Boda operators.
Defending the larger Boda Boda community, Mbau said that those who committed the heinous act are criminals and not bodaboda operators.
The politician argued that despite an occupation that one holds, it is wrong and callous to harass anyone, and any person who commits such acts should be called out as a criminal.
“We should get the entire Boda Boda community out of that discussion. In fact, if you hold any status in the community and you harass a woman, we should not refer you by your profession, you are just a criminal. If, for instance, a teacher assaults a woman, we should not label all teachers as criminals. The same way on the Boda Boda topic that is going on, those who assaulted the lady are criminals,” Mbau stated.
Mbau also urged the government to set up rules and regulations to govern bodaboda operations across the country. He pointed out that the government has been reluctant on regulating the sector for so long.
“It’s now time that the government of Kenya regulates the Boda Boda sector. The same way motorists go to school and learn how to drive, awarded with a driving license to prove they are qualified drivers, the government should find a new method of ensuring that all bodaboda operators are trained and qualified,” Mbau argued.
On Tuesday, 8th March President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered a crackdown on all Boda Boda operators in Nairobi and across the country following the incident that saw a female motorist sexually assaulted
Over 100,000 Kenyans online have so far signed an online petition seeking to regulate the boda-boda operations in the country.
