Boda boda operators on Wednesday stormed City Hall to protest against harassment and extortion by county askaris.
The riders blocked City Hall Way with their bikes and refused to give way, insisting that they would only leave after speaking with Governor Mike Sonko.
They also demanded that the governor designate areas for their operation to avoid frequent run-ins with the city officers.
Through their chairman, Ken Onyango, the riders complained about the ongoing crackdown, claiming that the county officers demanded hefty amounts for their bikes to be released once impounded.
“Once your bike has been impounded it attracts a fine of Sh1,000 a day and some of the bikes have been there for months. We are appealing to the governor to ensure unconditional release of our bikes,” said Onyango.
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According to the chairman of the United Boda Boda Welfare Association, more than 400 bikes have been impounded and more than 300 riders arrested in the operation.
Welfare association
“Before the crackdown operators would earn as much as one thousand shillings but now more than seventy per cent of our members earn less than three hundred shillings,” he observed.
Josphat Kabuna, a boda boda operator along Kenyatta Avenue, said county officers were also going round demanding Sh3,000 from each rider during off-peak hours in the morning.
“We are tired of this extortion and if the administration will not do something about it then we will. The askaris insist on seeing your M-Pesa balance and if you don't allow them they impound your motorcycle,” added Kabuna.
Onyango asked the county government to outline the designated areas the riders can operate to avoid conflict.
He argued that just like taxis and matatus, the riders too were city residents out to make an honest living and should not be treated in such an inhumane manner.
“We are not second-class citizens and we want to get value for the taxes we pay. We will not accept unwarranted harassment from anyone,” stated Onyango.
More demos
They also accuse Governor Sonko of breaching an agreement in which the operators were to wear identification tags to exempt them from harassment.
Investigations by Metropolitan revealed that boda bodaoperators pay Sh3,000 a month to City Hall to be allowed to operation. The riders vowed to stage more demonstrations until the governor addressed their grievances.
For the past week, the city government has been cracking down on hawkers and boda bodas following an upsurge in crime that has nearly paralysed operations in the capital.
The crackdown has seen illegal structures demolished and hawkers and boda boda operators driven out of the central business district.
According to the police, more than 1,000 hawkers and boda boda riders have been arrested since the operation started.
