Kitui governor Julius Malombe and the Kitui County bodaboda riders chairperson Kevin Kivala displays the association’s 5-year strategic plan on August 4, 2026/Musembi Nzengu.
Boda boda riders reacts at the Kitui KEFRi center last Tuesday during an occasion at which Kitui governor Julius Malombe presided over the issuance of smart driving licences to 783 boda boda riders/Musembi Nzengu.
An initiative by the Kitui County Government to train and license boda boda riders has been hailed as a major boost to efforts to professionalise the sector and reduce road accident-related fatalities.
Kitui County Boda Boda Association chairman Kevin Kivala said the administration of Governor Julius Malombe had so far supported the training and licensing of about 2,000 riders.
He said the trained riders had been equipped with professional riding skills and provided with smart driving licences.
Kivala, however, urged MPs from Kitui to emulate the county government by supporting boda boda riders in their respective constituencies to acquire driving licences and comply with traffic laws.
He added that the county government’s extensive sensitisation campaign on road safety and traffic regulations had contributed to a decline in road crashes involving boda boda riders, while cases of traffic violations had reduced significantly.
“Gone are the days when a ward at the Kitui County Referral Hospital was designated for boda boda riders and when many riders ended up at the mortuary," Kivala said.
Speaking to journalists in Kitui on Saturday, Kivala echoed Governor Malombe’s revelation last Tuesday that 10,921 of the approximately 14,000 boda boda riders in the county operated without valid driving licences.
He said operating without licences and adequate knowledge of traffic rules and regulations placed riders at considerable risk.
He called for concerted efforts to help them get trained and obtain licences.
“Malombe’s administration has helped at least 2,000 boda boda riders acquire driving licences, but we are many and there is a need for Kitui MPs to support the initiative and help more riders obtain licences,” he said.
Kivala said three of Kitui’s eight MPs had already supported riders in their constituencies to acquire driving licences.
They include Kitui Central MP Makali Mulu, Mwingi West MP Charles Nguna and Kitui West MP Vethi Nyenze.
On Tuesday, Malombe expressed concern that only 2,968 of the county’s 13,909 registered boda boda riders were operating legally with valid driving licences.
The governor described the situation as alarming, noting that only 21 per cent of boda boda operators in the county were compliant with traffic law.
“All those who have not acquired driving licences should do so to remain on the right side of the law. They should get insurance cover to cater for compensation for motorcycles and medical treatment in case of accidents,” Malombe said.
The governor spoke at the Kenya Forestry Research Institute centre in Kitui when he presided over the issuance of smart driving licences to 783 boda boda riders drawn from the county’s 40 wards.
The riders had successfully completed a county government-sponsored training programme.
They were also issued with helmets and reflective jackets as part of efforts to promote road safety.
