JAMILA'S MEMO: Boda boda - Ride or risk?

In Nairobi, the boda boda is both a lifeline and a nightmare. It gives thousands of young men a livelihood and gets us through traffic when nothing else can. It has even become the backbone of delivery services from food to medicine, proving just how deeply integrated boda bodas are in our daily lives. For many families, that motorbike is the difference between survival and hunger.

But let’s be honest: boda bodas have also become one of the most visible faces of indiscipline on our roads. Overlapping, blocking intersections, invading pavements, and, in the worst cases, turning accident scenes into crime scenes by torching vehicles. It has reached a point where what should be a simple traffic incident quickly escalates into mob justice.

That’s not all. Time and again, we have seen motorists surrounded, intimidated, and traumatised after accidents with boda bodas. We all remember the case of the young lady who was left shaken and traumatised after being hemmed in by a mob of riders. That is not solidarity; it is harassment disguised as brotherhood, and it must end.

Authorities and sector stakeholders know this cannot continue and that is why they are introducing new measures. Every rider must now be registered in a sub-county sacco and stage chama.

Before registration, a rider will be required to present a valid license, helmet, and a certificate of good conduct. Each stage will have distinct uniform colours, and every motorbike will carry a mandatory identification number issued by NTSA and a stage code. The idea is simple: accountability, traceability, and order in a sector long defined by chaos.

On paper, these steps sound like the breakthrough we have been waiting for. Riders can be traced, rogue elements can be weeded out, and criminals who hide behind motorbikes will find it harder to operate.

But here’s the hard truth: we have seen measures before. Helmets and reflector jackets were made mandatory. Crackdowns were launched. For a few days, the order returned, then everything slipped back into chaos.

At the same time, the riders are not wrong when they point fingers at the police. Harassment, false charges, and demands for bribes are real. In some areas, it is an open secret that you cannot ride in peace without paying “something.” How do we build trust when the very enforcers of the law use the law as a tool of extortion?

At the end of the day, no uniform, no sacco, no new rule will change anything if the culture of indiscipline remains. What will change things is a shift in mindset—a recognition that nidhamu is not optional.

Right now, boda bodas are standing at a crossroads. They can be the face of hustle and hope, or the face of havoc and fear. The choice, ladies and gentlemen, is theirs and ours.