Buying a second-hand motorbike with no papers could soon be much harder. The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) is rolling out a digital register that will tie every boda boda rider to a stage, a SACCO and a verified owner.

NTSA Assistant Director of Road Safety Programmes Samuel Musumba gave details of the Boda Boda Management System (BMS) in a television interview on Thursday, 5 November. He described it as a way to bring order to one of Kenya's biggest informal transport sectors.

"We rolled out the Boda Boda Management System to onboard all these riders," Musumba said, Kenyans.co.ke reported.

How the system works

According to NTSA, the BMS will:

  • Register riders and record their designated operating areas, drop-off zones and stages
  • Link each rider to a recognised SACCO
  • Help authorities and SACCOs establish who owns a motorcycle, including bikes reported stolen
  • Strengthen coordination between NTSA and county governments

Musumba said one aim is to deal with riders selling motorbikes to each other without legal documents. That practice makes it hard to prove ownership when a bike is stolen or disputed.

"We have put a system in place to control the operations of boda boda operators. It will prevent the theft of their motorbikes and we are also pushing for proper ownership records," he said, People Daily reported.

Nairobi riders already colour-coded

The system is already running in Nairobi, where riders wear reflector jackets in colours that match their operating area. "A Lang'ata rider has a different colour coat from a rider in Waiyaki Way," Musumba said. Counties have set up enforcement units to check that riders are registered with SACCOs and operating from approved stages.

Regulation, not punishment

Musumba said the goal is not to punish riders. "The whole idea is not punishment but regulation," he said. "If we do not do that, then we will be running a lawless system."

The reforms build on proposals from a task force set up by former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i. It recommended training riders and organising them into SACCOs.

NTSA has not said whether the system will use live GPS tracking, when nationwide registration will be complete, or what penalties riders who fail to register will face. Musumba also said the authority is considering stricter inspections for privately owned vehicles, noting that many second-hand imports are on the road.

Photos: Kenyans.co.ke / Boda Boda Safety Association of Kenya (riders); Kenyans.co.ke (NTSA's Samuel Musumba). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.