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{
    "id": 1282301,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1282301/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 347,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kiminini, DAP-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Bisau Kakai",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. Today, all of us in this House including you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, are here courtesy of this industry. During our campaigns, when we were selling our agenda, the greatest group that helped us spread this agenda was the bodaboda riders. When it came to the election time, the movement of voters and everything else was through them. Today, our economy is driven by the involvement of the bodaboda riders. Basically, what is happening is that we have abandoned our employers, but as they always say, when you cross the bridge, do not burn it because you will need it. There is what we call a return journey. We cannot afford to turn a blind eye while we see the bodaboda industry being brought down. I want to thank Mheshimiwa Emaase for bringing this important Motion, but it is not unique to Busia County. In my Kiminini Constituency, Trans Nzoia County, bodaboda riders are going through the same story and it is very painful standing here as the Chairperson of Peace and Security Committee in the Great Lakes Region, elected by 12 parliaments. Only last week we were in the Congo briefing His Excellency President Tshisekedi on the issue of peace. So, it is very painful that while out there spreading peace, our own backyards, employers, bodaboda riders, do not even have peace. Again, in line with the current Government where we talk about bottom-up, we expect that priority is given to this particular sector. What we expect is not only investment in the human component, but that we have a fully-fledged Ministry of information communications technology and the Ministry in charge of internal security. We want to see modern technology whereby these crime-prone areas are captured. Hon. Temporary Speaker, we have seen situations where we are even sending policemen to peacekeeping missions. Are we saying that we are liking non-Kenyans more than Kenyans? We want to see more investment in our people to protect lives. Most importantly, Hon. Temporary Speaker, we want to see the regulations because apart from the security situation, there are issues of acquisition where the interest rates are very high. You will find that part of the insecurity is where most of the bodaboda riders are even running away because their bikes have to be taken away because of non-payment. We would like this issue of insecurity causing poor economic livelihoods looked into. Most importantly is the issue of insurance. Hardly a day passes without getting an issue where a bodaboda rider has been hospitalised or has died and we have to come in for the young family. I can see Mheshimiwa J.K. is also nodding on the other side because I am sure the situation is the same all over the country. We need to have some regulations, not just on acquisition, but also on the issue of insurance cover so that we can take care of these people. They always say that usimtukane mkunga na uzazi ungalipo . The bodaboda riders are our employers. We will need them and we must support them. We must stand up for them, especially based on the Government that came up talking about bottom-up. We must stand up for them. Again, as it has been proposed, we need the relevant ministries to come here and tell us exactly what they are doing because this is a national issue."
}