Residents fear some boda boda riders carry passengers while drunk

According to the residents, one cannot count in one hand alone the number of accidents involving motorcycle riders that occur in Nairobi on a single day.

“Some of these unscrupulous riders hide behind the huge helmets, and so, you will never know that they are drunk, or are under the influence of drugs,” says Brian Kamau, a resident of Nairobi.

According to Brian, he has been carried as pillion passenger, on a few occasions, by riders who are half-sober.

“Some of these people ferry our children to school in the mornings, and bring them back home in the evening, sometime when half-sober,” says Kamau.

Priscilla Achieng, also a resident of Nairobi told Wananchi Reporting that she only uses a specific rider, one she knows very well.

The Motorcycle regulations 2015 passed and enforced by the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) and regional authorities may not have achieved much going by the number of accidents and deaths attributed to motorcyclists.

In 2018, according to research, boda bodas were involved in 2,359 accidents.

It was a similar story in 2019 where reports indicated that low-cost motorcycles killed more people than vehicles, with 1,421 pillion passengers dying compared to 1,049 drivers and passengers who died that year.  

Although many devastating stories of accidents involving riders have made headline news, some have not been told, and will never be told.

Nobody gets to know about these accidents, save for the victims; the pillion passengers, their families and a few eyewitnesses.

Residents of Nairobi who spoke to Wananchi Reporting are worried that some operators carry customers when drunk – therefore risking lives.

Research conducted in neighbouring Uganda showed that most motorcyclists used illicit drugs to enhancing work performance (52%), for pleasure (51%), and the need to relieve stress (46%), peer pressure (38%) and addiction (34%).

Ken, a boda boda operator in Nairobi told Wananchi Reporting that some of his colleagues used drugs as a coping mechanism because it is a high-pressure job.

“Some people become riders while already dealing drugs, or are battling alcoholism. Some of them will stop for a quick drink whenever they can to quench their thirst, even when they are at work,” says Ken.

“But not all riders do that, just a few unscrupulous operators,” he says.

The residents want adequate measures to be taken to ensure that there is sobriety in the sector, so that people abusing drugs are not allowed near a motorbike.

“It’s not just about wearing helmets, reflector jackets, leaving headlights on, or forcing riders to carry one passenger at a time, it is about the state of the riders,” says Ken.  

Some of the residents feel that random checks using the dreaded Alcoblow can help mitigate the situation, and reduce accidents.