After days of growing concerns on enforcement of a nationwide crackdown on bodabodas, the National Police Service (NPS) has finally suspended it in all regions apart from Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) to give room for consultations.
In a press statement made by NPS spokesperson Bruno Shioso, suspension of the crackdown will allow the multi-sectoral committee coordinating it to develop a suitable implementation framework.
“The suspension SHALL NOT apply to the Nairobi CBD where the ban remains in force,” the statement clarified.
The directive comes in the wake of growing criticism against police who have been accused of targeting innocent motorcycle owners through heightened extortion schemes.
On March 8, President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered a crackdown on all bodaboda operators across the country following an incident that saw a female motorist sexually assaulted in Nairobi.
But the orders were faced with sharp criticism among Kenyans who decried that the crackdown had taken a toll on the delivery business across the country with several consumers decrying frustrations while seeking delivery services.
The orders by President Kenyatta followed a viral video of a female motorist being physically harassed by a gang of bodaboda riders and which sparked national outrage, with netizens and leaders calling on the government to regulate the sector.
The incident saw more than 200 bodaboda operators within Nairobi CBD arrested and arraigned in court.
