About 200 boda boda operators and riders in Nakuru have been trained about the importance of insuring their motorbikes against risks among them fire, accidents, and theft.
The riders who were drawn from all the 11 subcounties of the populous county, were also educated on the importance of their personal covers instead of depending on the third-party policy cover which only covers the motorbike and pillion.
Different facilitators during the meeting organised by Policyholders Compensation Fund (PCF) regretted the number of accidents involving boda boda motorbikes, some of them being fatal.
The fund is conducting a campaign dubbed PCF Mtaani aimed at creating awareness among members of the public, especially policyholders whose insurance companies have collapsed.
Deputy Director, PCF Corporate Communications, Rosemary Kavili said the fund pitched camp in the area in a campaign to educate the public on its mandate and functions to build public confidence in the insurance sector.
She said the team will traverse across counties with a target of calling upon people to lodge their claims with PCF for those members of the public who had policies with Resolution Insurance Company under Statutory Management and Standard Assurance Company which is under liquidation.
Nakuru is the third county to host the five-day engagement forum that is bringing together people from different sectors among them media practitioners, the business community, Public Service Vehicle operators, union officials, self-help group leaders, and People Living with Disabilities.
During the meeting with boda boda riders, representatives from the National Transport Safety Authority and Insurance Regulatory Authority said it was sad that uninsured riders were either dying or getting permanent injuries without fallback plans for their families.
“Why would a rider insure his motorbikes and the passenger and leave themselves exposed,” wondered Jemima Kadeka, an NTSA regional officer.
She observed that there was an increase in road accidents involving boda bodas over the past three years to the extent that some hospitals set up special wards for the semi-sector.
Kadeka decried cases of drug driving, drunk driving, and underage riders in the boda boda business.
She also mentioned road engineering challenges and mechanical issues as contributing factors to the significant number of accidents.
“It has become clear that besides not insuring the motorbikes and forging insurance documents by altering expiry dates, boda boda riders are not servicing their vessels,” she said.
The officer warned the operators against riding in the rain or without safety gear such as helmets and reflector jackets.