Murkomen orders crackdown on rogue boda boda operators

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced a major crackdown on rogue boda boda operators and criminal gangs.

Speaking in Kisii during the Jukwaa La Usalama forum, the CS said the government will work with the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and local authorities to license boda boda groups, regulate their activities, and punish those involved in crime.

Murkomen warned that some boda boda operators were being misused for political purposes, with criminal elements infiltrating the sector to harass, beat, and attack citizens.

He cited a violent incident in Kisii on September 1 as evidence of the growing danger and vowed that the crackdown would be carried out “without fear or favour” and without regard for political affiliations.

“We want the boda boda sector to be regulated independently of political interference. We want the NTSA to work together with the relevant authorities in the county and national government to license the boda boda saccos, regulate their activities, and punish those involved in criminal activities," Murkomen said.

"We have agreed in the security team that there will be a major crackdown with the support of security officers from the national level to support the county security team and bring order in the boda boda sector,” he added.

The CS said the boda boda sector, a multi-billion-shilling industry, should be transformed into a respectable profession that provides jobs for young people.

He urged the county government to work with the national government to organise the sector and include boda boda leaders in county security meetings to enhance intelligence-sharing.

“It’s important that they are properly organised, and we want to request the county government to partner with the national government so that we can organise the boda boda sector to be an employer and be seen as a respectable profession, a respectable transport sector that can also be involved in security, supporting security operations,” he said.

Murkomen also addressed the issue of land-related insecurity in Kisii, linking high murder rates and the killing of elderly people accused of witchcraft to pressure over inheritance and land fragmentation.

He called for accelerated succession processes, land consolidation, and support for the government’s affordable housing programme to relieve pressure on land use. He also encouraged residents to adopt public cemeteries to curb disputes over burial sites.

Murkomen also spoke about the Jukwaa La Usalama forum itself, describing it as a platform for public engagement on security issues.

He said the Jukwaa La Usalama forum gives government leaders a chance to work from counties at least once a year, hear citizens’ grievances, and resolve local security and service delivery issues on the ground.

“Instead of people queuing in my office in Nairobi, we come to them, listen to their issues, and solve problems on the ground,” he said.

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