NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 19 – The National Assembly is expected to deliberate on the Public Transport (Motorcycle Regulation) Bill, 2023, following its passage by the Senate on December 5 last year as the government moves to regulate motorcycle operations across the country.
The Bill, sponsored by Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, aims to address the safety concerns surrounding the growing use of motorcycles as a means of public transport.
The Bill introduces several key measures, including the establishment of a Board for overseeing motorcycle operations, which will be tasked with the registration and regulation of motorcycle riders, as well as ensuring proper training.
Likewise, it outlines the responsibilities of riders, owners, and passengers, along with provisions for employment contracts in the sector.
Similarly, the Bill provides a framework for the suspension or revocation of motorcycle riders’ registration certificates in cases of misconduct or failure to meet safety standards.
“Every owner of a motorcycle operating for commercial purposes shall not cause or permit any person to ride their motorcycle unless such a person is the holder of a valid driving licence or a valid provisional licence endorsed in respect of that class of motorcycles and a valid employment contract,” read the Bill in part.
“Every owner shall issue to the rider— (a) two helmets which comply with the standards established by the Kenya Bureau of Standards and are of the prescribed colour; two reflective jackets which are of the prescribed colour.”
If the National Assembly greenlights the bill, boda boda operators will experience sweeping changes, including rebranding of their motorbikes to meet specific colours prescribed by each county.
The boda boda operatives will also be bound by the law not to modify their bikes by altering their exhaust pipes and wind shields,an aspect that has become synonymous with boda boda across the country.
