Transport was on Tuesday paralysed along the busy Nairobi-Mombasa Highway as bodaboda operators demonstrated against their colleague’s alleged murder in Makindu, Makueni county.
The agitated riders took to the streets in mid-morning, demanding justice for the deceased, who they claimed was killed under mysterious circumstances.
They barricaded the road for close to three hours as they pushed for action to be taken against Joseph Kamala, whose body was found dumped in a thicket within Makindu Township on Monday. He had been reported missing on Saturday.
The demonstrators blamed the death on an institution that issues motorcycle loans to bodaboda operators claiming most of the deaths occur if their members are almost clearing their loans.
“We declare in unity that there is no other youth who will lose his life under similar circumstances. The youth who have obtained motorbikes from a particular microfinance company are the ones getting killed,” Makindu Bodaboda Operators Association chairman Richard Musioki said.
They addressed reporters during the demonstrations.
There are claims that the deceased was to pay Sh3,000 to clear his motorcycle’s loan when he was found dead in the thicket.
The deceased’s elder brother Stephen Muendo said his brother was reported missing on Saturday evening after watching a football match with some of his colleagues in Makindu town.
“The 34-year-old had initially enrolled for a teacher training course but dropped out to join the boda boda industry,” Muendo told reporters.
The irate boda boda operators blamed the police for what they termed as doing little to address insecurity targeting the industry in the area.
At least three boda boda operators have lost their lives in the area under similar circumstances in the last two months.
Attempts by Makindu Assistant County Commissioner John Mutai to call the riotous boda boda operators failed.
It took two contingents of heavily armed police officers to disperse the youth and clear the highway before normalcy returned.
