Boda Boda riders have rejected a warning from Police Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai that putS them on notice following recent violent incidents linked to them.
The riders, through the Boda boda Association of Kenya, condemned the Mutyambia notice, asking to instead engage them in constructive dialogue.
There have been reports of violence, mugging, robbing and burning of vehicles in towns including Nairobi. Accident sites have, in particular, been cited as main places of such crimes where victims are robbed of their belongings and riders are accused of being the main perpetrators.
There have also been complaints against the riders for acts of impunity on the roads, flouting of traffic rules and other crimes.
Mutyambai on Thursday in a statement said police would would soon map out the accident hotspots and mount massive operations to restore order and smoke out the criminals.
But the riders dismissed the warning, saying that a confrontational approach that condemns the riders would not work. Only constructive dialogue would, they said.
The association officials rejected all the claims against their members, asserting that none of them had engaged in impunity or crime.
Their members respect traffic rules, they added.
The officials called on their IG to call a meeting with the association leaders and representatives of the riders to help develop regulations that should govern the sector. This will help smoke out a few of them who may be engaging in crime, they said.