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{
    "id": 1561717,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1561717/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 505,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Ojiambo Oundo",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": ". It started with a bicycle. People used bicycles to carry goods and passengers. At that time, a bicycle had more value than a car. If you did not own a bicycle, even if you owned a Mercedes-Benz, people would not take you seriously. They believed you did not encompass the culture and aspirations of the people. The motorcycle has revolutionised transport in this country. It has made movement more accessible by allowing people to reach destinations they would not have accessed due to poor road infrastructure. In the face of traffic congestion, especially in Nairobi, motorcycles come in handy. They provide speed and the ability to reach places that would otherwise take much longer. The bodaboda sub-sector is one of the largest employers in the country. It employs the youth, older people, and many who may have had no other avenues of making a living. That is a fact. Bodaboda riders are our sons and daughters. They are members of society who, regardless of how we look at it, deserve mechanisms that protect their business, their jobs and their safety. I had the privilege of teaching at a university in Kigali, Rwanda, for almost a year. People talk about the cleanliness of Kigali and Rwanda as a whole. However, there is discipline in the bodaboda riders, who are referred to as \"motos\". I reiterate that this is a sub-sector which, if regulated and disciplined, can transform our economy tremendously. I have also had the privilege of travelling outside the country to Western Europe and the United States. I have never seen motorcycles being used as a means of public transport in those regions. Their transport systems are elaborate, developed and well- regulated. The need to regulate this industry cannot be gainsaid. It is a fact. Our good friend is a bullfighter, and I believed he feared nothing. I had assumed that by the time he thought about and drafted this law, he had applied his mind both politically and professionally. Coming from the medical field and as an academic, I expected he had considered all consequences. Sometimes, it is a terrible waste of public resources to come this far, only to withdraw the Bill at the tail-end, although it is permitted under Standing Orders. I have not had the privilege of reading his withdrawal letter or the reasons given. Regardless, it is a terrible waste of public resources. When I meet him, I will tell him as much ― that we felt it was a terrible waste of resources. He is the same person who once stood in this House and said: “For corruption to end, Kimunya must go!”. Failing to take this Bill to its logical end is also a form of corruption. It is a misuse of public resources. It is important that, as a community and a country, we open dialogue with bodaboda riders. In the interim, while opening up dialogue and seeking ways to bring order, as the Leader of the Majority Party said, we must remember that we already have a State Department for Transport and a Traffic Department under the National Police Service. In case of any failure and chaos in the bodaboda sector, the blame falls squarely on the two State organs. The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), the State Department and the Traffic Police Department are there. The laws and rules are there. Why are they not enforcing them? Is it because bodaboda riders are too powerful and politically significant such that no one dares or wishes to touch them? The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}