Gachagua: Boda boda riders are warriors of our economy

By Peter Ochieng

Deputy President (DP) Rigathi Gachagua is appreciative of the work done by boda boda riders in running the country's economy.

Speaking on Monday during the launch of the Nyandarua county Boda Yangu, Ofisi Yangu Programme, the DP said the riders are the real warriors of the country's economy.

"The boda boda subsector has eased movement of goods and services. It is a pillar of our economy. The riders are real warriors of our economy," he said.

A study conducted by Car and General, a local motorcycle sales company showed that the boda boda transport sector creates 1 million direct jobs for riders, making an average income of Sh1 billion daily.

This translates to Sh365 billion annually, which equates to 3.4 per cent of Kenya's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Gachagua said under the Kenya Kwanza administration's bottom-up approach, they want to engage the subsector to understand their bottlenecks for strategic interventions.

"This will enable us to fully exploit the potential of this multimillion subsector. This is achievable by coordinated collaboration between stakeholders and partners," he added.

He used the opportunity to urge boda boda riders to be on the look out, so as to weed off criminal elements from the sector.

“We have told the police that bodaboda riders are not criminals; they are businessmen. They should be respected and not be harassed. But the riders should also follow the law and traffic rules. Let us not allow boda boda business to be infiltrated by criminal gangs. Don’t allow criminal elements in your enterprise. Be your own policemen and be vigilant."

The Nyandarua county Boda Yangu, Ofisi Yangu programme is being sponsored by Woman Representative Faith Gitau under the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF).

It will train 256 riders on savings and investment uptake of National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) cover, road safety and etiquette, among other soft skills.

The DP said it is a good initiative, which can be taken up by other counties.