Young women seek to end 'curse' of boda boda riders in Naivasha

As they enter Naivasha Town centre, the four young women are easily noticed by the hawk-eyed eyed boda boda riders.

The riders dash at high speed and grab their carrier bags unaware that they have reached their destination. The riders are crestfallen when the four youthful women politely decline their offers.

The young women are professionals. The group comprises two advocates of the High Court, a secondary school teacher and a college student.

When the team leader announced their mission and started distributing reflector jackets and stickers with the message: 'Ambassador of peace,' the riders’ mood changed. They started smiling as they wore the jackets. They were now keen to listen to the ladies.  

"I would rather wear this reflector preaching a message of peace rather than one with a photo of a politician who is likely to incite us to violence," said one of the riders.

 Ambassadors of peace   

"Some of my colleagues were in school when Naivasha was turned into a blood bath. I will not hesitate to wear this reflector jacket. I saw my neighbour butchered," said another one.

 The four women- Diana Oyugi, 28, Pauline Bwari Macha, 29 are both advocates of the High Court, while Miriam Kariuki, 23, is a secondary school teacher. Dorothy Sabdio, 21, is a student at the Kenya Institute of Development Studies (KIDS) in Naivasha Town.

They are on a delicate mission to convert boda boda riders into ambassadors of peace   ahead of the August 9 polls.

They are targeting a younger generation of vulnerable boda boda riders in the lakeside town that was an epicentre of post-election violence in 2007/2008.

"Boda boda riders are passionate about change and politics. We're here to equip them with key skills to identify and counter hate speech," said Diana, who is the brains behind the community-based organisation dubbed Naivasha Young Turks.

"I formed this group after I noticed boda boda riders lacked civic education to help them be law-abiding citizens yet they play a very critical role in the economic and social agenda of this country,” said Diana.

1,000 people killed

Interestingly, the four women were in secondary and primary schools in 2007-2008 when Kenya experienced post-election violence that saw more than 1,000 people killed.

"I was in Form Two at Moi Girls Eldoret. I saw how boda boda riders were a critical component to peace as they could easily be identified to support political violence. I realised the riders can play important roles in creating cohesion and countering electoral and political violence," she says. 

The four were scouted by Nakuru based Youth Bila Noma, a youth-led organisation whose mission is to strengthen resilience among young people.

They received sponsorship to conduct their activities from Young Cities, a global pioneering capacity building programme that connects young people to local governments to address the challenges of hate polarisation and extremism to violence through dialogue, skills development and civic engagement.

Anisa Harassy, manager of sub-Saharan Africa at Strong Cities Network is happy with the Naivasha Young Turks, Mtaani Connect and Skynet productions which each received Sh1 million sponsorship from Young Cities to conduct its activities in Naivasha and Nakuru.

"I'm impressed by the three groups for using the grants well to spread the gospel of peace and end hate and violent extremism among the youths in Nakuru County," said Ms Harassy.

Post-election violence

Pauline, who is also a content creator and artist with a legal and hospitality management background, said when post-election violence erupted her family had to flee to Tanzania from Nairobi.

She said there are various characteristics associated with boda boda riders that make them well placed to engage in efforts to counter violence and promote peace.

"They understand what is happening in their backyard including the local politics, communities and have strong networks and access to various areas that are not accessible by public service vehicles," said Pauline who is a human rights lawyer specialising in alternative disputes resolution.

"The political heat is rising steadily. We have equipped the riders with tips to detect hate speech and how to report them to the relevant authorities," she added.

The four say they do not want to see their dreams of a peaceful Naivasha and Nakuru County lost through the reckless behaviour.  

"We want to see boda boda riders become ambassadors of peace with a high degree of tolerance for different opinions. We want them to distance themselves from hate," explained Pauline.

Miriam said she witnessed the violence while in Class Three.

Kaptembwo slums

"Our school was located at the sprawling Kaptembwo slums in Nakuru Town West which was another violence hotspot. I saw the displacement of my relatives in Njoro.  My grandfather was shot dead as I watched," said Miriam who is head of the marketing department at Kenya Institute of Development Studies in Naivasha.

"I was in Class Two in Samburu and listening to testimonials of the post-election violence victims, their hearts are still full of scars and that is why I'm deeply engaged in Naivasha Young Turk's mission to convert the boda boda riders into ambassadors of peace," said Dorothy.

The group has composed a song, 'Amani Kwa Wakenya (Peace to All Kenyans) to sensitise Kenyans on the importance of peace ahead of the August 9 elections.

But it has not been a walk in the park as the group has encountered rowdy riders and lack of funds to upscale their campaigns.

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