President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered a nationwide crackdown of all boda boda operators following the horrifying incident where riders sexually assaulted a female driver on Wangari Maathai Road in Nairobi.
Describing the incident in the viral video as disheartening to see, the President said that he had instructed law enforcement officers to clamp down on rogue operators and ensure the perpetrators of the heinous act are brought to book.
“Yesterday, I did give instructions that I have ordered a crackdown on all boda boda operators, starting here in Nairobi and moving across the country,” said the Head of State.
The president who was speaking during Tuesday’s International Women’s Day celebrations at the Kenya School of Government in Lower Kabete, Nairobi further stated that all boda boda operators would be registered afresh to ensure sanity in the sector.
“We are going to reregister you all again and we must make sure that we safeguard women. I have instructed the law enforcement officers to use the instruments within the law to punish these perpetrators,” stated President Kenyatta.“There should never be a repeat of what we saw.”
The President similarly warned politicians against riding on the crackdown as a campaign agenda in political rallies, saying that the government will support the operators on condition that they are disciplined.
“We are in the silly season of politics and there are some out there who will go and start saying the government is harassing small traders and business people… We want to help your business prosper but you must also do your bit,” stated Kenyatta.
In the undated video that has since gone viral, the woman can be heard screaming as the male boda boda riders undress her while others order that she be removed from inside the car.
The video sparked uproar on social media on Monday afternoon, with scores calling for the regulation of the boda boda sector to tame such incidents.
