Bicycle riders on their own and in danger as town plans ignore them

Cyclist crossing the road at a highway in Mombasa County. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Cyclists are the forgotten lot in Western Kenya's transport sector. They are loathed by matatu operators and despised by boda boda riders on motorcycles who view them as a nuisance.

In the planning of towns in the region, the plight of cyclists is not a subject of discussion and has been largely ignored by authorities. In the entire Nyanza and Western regions, there are no special cycling lanes.