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Government targets boda-boda lawlessness with mandatory registration
The national government has announced a mandatory registration for boda-boda operators to curb rising crime.
The national government has announced a mandatory registration programme for boda-boda operators in savings and credit cooperatives (saccos), beginning in Nairobi County before extending it nationwide. This is an effort to curb rising crime and vehicle theft.
Registration will take place in Nairobi's 17 sub-counties over the next few months, following a spate of criminal activity involving some boda-boda operators.
Veronica Mwangi, Dagoretti Boda-Boda Safety Association of Kenya (BAK) chairperson, speaks during a meeting with senior security officials in Nairobi on September 11, 2025.
Each operator will be required to register with an existing sacco, and each group will wear different coloured reflectors according to their sub-county.
Operators will also be required to hold a valid riding licence, a certificate of good conduct, an insurance policy and original identification documents for both themselves and their motorcycle.
Traffic Commandant of the National Police Service, Dr Fredrick Ochieng, speaks during a meeting with senior security officials and boda-boda riders in Nairobi on September 11, 2025.
Dr Fredrick Ochieng, the National Police Service Traffic Commander, said that the boda-bodas will be identified by a special number plate indicating the county (47) followed by the initials of the sub-county and their operating stage.
“The programme will be cascaded across all the sub-counties since we want to curb all the rising insecurity. We have agreed with the operators that whenever crime, such as the torching of a vehicle, is reported, then there will be a crackdown to identify the perpetrators. It is therefore important for them to register,” Dr Ochieng said.
He spoke in Nairobi following a stakeholder engagement meeting with the boda-boda operators.
Nairobi Regional Police Commander George Seda said that all operators must work within the confines of the law.
“We want trust and to work as one team. Boda-boda riders will have to operate within the confines of the law... We have seen cases of boda-boda riders taking the law into their own hands. There is no solidarity in law. Why should one boda-boda be knocked by a vehicle, and the rest come in solidarity to burn vehicles? This must end starting today,” he said.
During the meeting, Dr Ochieng revealed that 585 boda-boda accidents had been reported in Nairobi between January 1 and September 9, 2025. A total of 242 people have died in these accidents, with a further 596 seriously injured.
He was speaking at a meeting to discuss increasing insecurity.
Kevin Mubadi, the chairperson of the Boda-Boda Safety Association of Kenya, also said that the umbrella body has signed a memorandum of understanding with lawyers who will help operators seek justice if their rights are violated.
Boda-Boda Safety Association of Kenya (BAK) National Executive Chairperson, Kevin Mubadi (centre), addresses the media after a meeting with senior security officials in Nairobi on September 11, 2025.
“We do not want you to take the law into your own hands. [The team of lawyers we have signed an agreement with] will be here to assist operators get justice in case you are in trouble,” he said during the forum.
The team of lawyers will offer legal support to registered operators in the event of an accident or altercation with the police or county enforcement officers.
This crackdown follows recent incidents that have highlighted the violent nature of the sector. For years, boda-boda riders have gained notoriety for carrying out retaliatory attacks whenever one of them is involved in a road accident. In Nairobi and other towns, motorists have had their vehicles burned following collisions with riders, even in minor incidents.
On September 1, 2025, a Super Metro bus was set on fire on Thika Superhighway near Juja Town. Witnesses said the bus had struck and killed a boda-boda rider, sparking outrage.
On September 7 in Makongeni, Thika, a traffic altercation spiralled into deadly violence after a Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officer reportedly knocked a boda-boda operator. A confrontation ensued and the officer opened fire, killing two riders. In retaliation, the officer’s vehicle was burned by angry riders and residents outside Makongeni Police Station.
Patrick Muasya Makenga, Starehe Boda-Boda Safety Association of Kenya (BAK) chairperson, speaks during a meeting with senior security officials in Nairobi on September 11, 2025.
In a separate incident in Vihiga, boda-boda riders set fire to a 14-seater minibus after it was involved in a collision that fatally injured a rider. They blocked the road, pulled the passengers out of the vehicle and set it alight before the police arrived.
Just a month earlier, on the morning of August 7, angry boda-boda riders set fire to a City Shuttle bus on Jogoo Road in Nairobi after it allegedly hit and killed a rider. The incident occurred at around 7.30am near the Jogoo Road–Outer Ring Road interchange, causing heavy traffic disruption and prompting the police to intervene and restore order.
