Makau Mutua renews demand to ban Boda Boda following Donholm bus incident
By Aloys Michael, August 7, 2025President William Ruto’s senior advisor on constitutional affairs, Makau Mutua, has reiterated his calls to have boda boda banned from urban centres.
His utterances come despite President William Ruto’s promise to support the boda boda industry as a key sector of the economy.
In a statement on the X account on Thursday, August 7, 2025, Mutua said he has previously warned about the dangers of having Boda Boda operators, citing an incident in Donholm where a mob set a public service vehicle bus on fire after an accident that killed a rider.
Mutua emphasised that the ban must be implemented without delay.
“I’ve repeatedly warned the nation about the existential threat of the Boda Boda industry, which has run amok. Here, in an orgy of violence, they collectively torch a bus after it allegedly hit one of their members. We must ban Boda Boda pronto!” the statement read.
In the Donholm incident, a mob, said to be Boda Boda operators, attacked and set on fire the bus involved in the fatal accident.
Mutua on ban
In earlier remarks, Mutua had cited safety concerns and disorder.
“I am convinced that all boda boda should be banned from the streets of all of Kenya’s major cities and towns. No modern city should tolerate such chaos, illegality, terrible aesthetics, and indiscipline on its roads. Unacceptable!” Mutua wrote.
His remarks were strongly opposed by the Boda Boda Association of Kenya (BAK), which accused Mutua of undermining a vital economic sector that supports millions of Kenyans.
“We strongly condemn the recent statement by Makau Mutua on his social media platforms calling for the banning of all boda bodas from Kenya’s cities and towns,” BAK said in a statement.
“Such remarks are not only reckless but deeply inconsiderate coming from a leader associated with a government that champions the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), a model that places the common mwananchi at the centre of economic growth.”
The association highlighted the economic importance of the boda boda sector, pointing out that it provides livelihoods for more than 2 million families across the country.