Kenya’s removal of import duty on motorcycles over a decade ago led to the instant creation of tens of thousands of new jobs in the transport sector, notably in the growth of motorcycle taxis, better known as boda bodas. However, the sector is also in the news for all the wrong reasons – fuelling crime, mob assaults on other road users, disregard for traffic rules. A viral video in which a mob of riders sexually assaulted a female motorist recently amplified the rot in the sector. Policy analyst Douglas Lucas Kivoi unpacks what went wrong and what should be done to make the boda boda sector safer for everyone.
