Love-hate relationship between women and ‘boda boda’ men

By GRACE NAKATO

KENYA: Many people think boda-bodas are a menace to society. Yes, there may be a few rotten potatoes in the lot and perhaps they are a law unto themselves. But in most cases, they are modern day knights riding up on a metal horse to save the day.

Government, in its usual high handed way, has decided to play big bully with the little people. To access free prenatal in government facilities, mandatory HIV testing has to be done on both husband and wife. 

Big bully failed to consider the consequences of asking a husband whose maxim in life is “ignorance is bliss”, to take a HIV test.

Nankabirwa is expecting her fourth baby. She was turned away from the government health facility in her neighborhood and told to come back with her husband for mandatory HIV testing and counseling, if she wanted to access free services.

Her husband is not the easiest man to deal with even on a good day, and broaching the subject got her a good thumping for accusing him of having HIV. Plan B, asking her brother-in-law to play the role of husband, was also a bust, as he wanted to be paid for his services in form of drinks at the local. The job fell to the boda-boda rider who only asked for Sh50 as a waiting fee for his troubles.

Hospital

To be a boda-boda, rider you have to be versatile. Robert my regular boda-boda guy once told me a story of taking a mad woman to Butabiika Mental Hospital. The woman needed to take her sister to Butabiika without alerting her. Reason being, she had escaped more than once when she got wind that her sister had intention of taking her to hospital.

She looked “normal” and soon, they were on their way.

 Along the way, the “patient” sandwiched between Robert and her sister began to fondle him thinking he was her boyfriend, and told him it was good he was finally going to take her to his new I can only imagine how much steadiness and strength it took him not to ride the bike into oncoming traffic and cause an accident.

Much as women are willing to “use” boda-boda men, word on the street is that only a desperate woman would marry one. Recently, I had one of those lazy days where I was surfing the idiot box seeking entertainment.

I landed on a lonely-hearts TV show and had a Eureka moment. The women on the show appeared to be maids, shop attendants and waitresses. Their ideal husband was one with a job and earns a good salary — basically a corporate guy. Their ideal marriage entailed a pampered life — shopping, salon and more shopping — and a maid to the housework. When the presenter pointed out that most boda-boda operators earned good money, they said those are beneath their social class.

I guess the boda-boda guy is a stepping-stone for a good life. Because if you have ever hired one of these girls in your salon, shop or as a maid, they usually run off with the watchman, houseboy or boda-boda man whom she has been pilfering your stuff to impress.

Many women, secretly love boda-boda men perhaps because of their physical fitness and availability among other reasons—if the secret affairs reported between women and boda-boda men are anything to go by. But publicly pretend to hate them citing their low social class as a turn off.