Bodaboda riders in Nairobi County have today received a sensitization and upskilling training on road safety and financial wellness courtesy of Inchape Kenya, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and Postbank.
Led by the National Chairman of the Bodaboda Safety Association of Kenya (BAK), over 200 bodaboda riders took part in the sensitization drive aimed at raising awareness on the regulations governing motorcyclists with a view to curbing avoidable road accidents.
The road safety campaign comes in the wake of a rise in the number of road accidents related to motorcyclists. According to the 2022 Economic Survey Report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the number of newly registered motor and auto cycles rose by 15.6 per cent from 246,705 units in 2020 to 285,203 units in 2021. Consequently, the number of motorcycle accident casualties rose by 13.6 per cent from 3,818 in 2020 to 4,336 in 2021. Additionally, the number of pillion passenger casualties in reported road accidents went up by 16.5 per cent from 2,332 in 2020 to 2,716 in 2021
Speaking during the forum, Inchcape Kenya Marketing Manager, Ms Anne Wanyeki, noted that as the country’s official distributor of BMW Bikes and as a responsible corporate citizen, Inchcape Kenya strives to enhance road safety among riders as part of its responsible business program.
“As we grow the BMW Motorrad product range in the Kenyan market, it is not lost on us that motorbikes have for a long time now highly contributed to the spike in road accidents. As a key player in the automobiles industry, we are committed to playing a part in limiting motorcycle accidents through upskilling and sensitizing riders across the country on road safety,” said Ms Wanyeki.
On his part, the National Chairman of the Bodaboda Safety Association of Kenya (BAK), Mr Kevin Mubadi, noted that the initiative was a welcome move and will go a long way in instilling road discipline among motorcyclists.
“I have been riding for many years now and I am passionate about spreading the safety and watchfulness message to my fellow bodaboda riders across the country. The bodaboda safety association is delighted to work with Inchcape Kenya and NTSA to bring more riders into the regulatory fold so as to restore order and sanity in this subsector. We are one of Kenya’s biggest subsectors and my intention as the bodaboda association national chairman is to grow our industry further through forging mutually beneficial partnerships with both the government and relevant players in the private sector,” he said.
Hilda Maina, Postbank Westlands branch manager, noted that the Bank is open to working with the bodaboda association to enhance the financial standing of bodaboda riders across the country.
“Postbank is the only savings bank in the country and as such our core mandate is to mobilize savings through instilling a savings culture among Kenyans. We are cognizant that the bodaboda industry is one of the biggest in the country and we are ready to cater to this industry with our savings products, some which require as little as 50 shillings to activate,” she stated.
Inchcape Kenya will take the sensitization drive to the other parts of the country in the coming months.
