Kidero releases 105 impounded boda bodas ahead of general election
The Nairobi County government will with immediate effect release all impounded boda bodas and waive any fees incurred in storage and court fines.
The county head of inspectorate Francis Munyambu said that they have 105 motorbikes in the county yard. The motorbikes have been impounded since November 2015, after governor Evans Kidero banned the riders from operating in the CBD.
Despite the order, the riders have been operating with impunity with most of them failing to adhere to the traffic rules as they oftedn drive on the wrong side.
Speaking during the release of the motorbikes at City Hall, Nairobi County Secretary Dr Robert Ayisi said that the release came after the operators pleaded with the governor saying that they had lost their source of livelihood.
IMPOUNDED
“This is a humanitarian call that has made the Governor Evans Kidero release the impounded boda bodas. It is not politically driven as the riders depend on them for their livelihood,” said Dr Ayisi.
However, the Dr Ayisi has reiterated that the ban on the boda bodas from operating within the city centre is still stands. The riders are free to operate outside the CBD and within the estates.
He warned the riders against obstructing traffic and told them to adhere to all the county by-laws and traffic rules.
Speaking at the same forum, the City Riders Sacco chairman Denis Ochieng decried the arrest of boda boda operators following the failure of the county to allocate designated spaces for their operation within the city.
INCURRED FEES
Mr Ochieng said that some boda boda have been in the county custody for more than two years and the operators have subsequently incurred over Sh 100,000 fees which they can not raise.
The chairman said that the riders have to produce original logbooks and national identity cards to get their motorcycles back.
“Some of the riders went back to the rural areas after they failed to raise the cash. We have contacted them to pick their motorcycles for free,”said Mr Ochieng.
He added that their intention is not to operate within the CBD but rather to have City Hall allocating them spaces.
