Gatundu South Member of Parliament Moses Kuria has faulted Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich's plan to have boda boda riders purchase insurance cover for their customers.
Speaking on K24 TV on Thursday 9pm, the MP said the move would burden the operators who are already struggling to make ends meet.
"Out of about 1.1 million boda boda operators in the country, only about 200, 000 of them have valid third party insurance. The rest cannot afford," Kuria said.
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The MP called on the CS to first ensure that the operators are informed well about the importance of the cover before they are forced to comply with the law.
Treasury CS, while reading the 2019/2020 budget in Parliament yesterday, explained that the move would curb the accidents involving boda bodas that have been witnessed on the roads.
While Rotich acknowledged that boda bodas play an important role in the transport sector, he pointed out that the mode of transport has proven to be risky to passengers and pedestrians.
“The accident victims, who are mostly from the lower cadres of the society, are left to seek financial assistance for treatment from friends and relatives since these boda bodas are not insured,” Rotich said.
The directive, if adopted by the National assembly, is likely to make life even harder for the citizens given that the riders will most likely push the costs of the insurance covers to the customers.
