Alarm as six boda boda riders lose lives, bikes to robbers posing as clients
The latest victim of the killings Eliud Wambu whose body was found dumped on a roadside on Sunday. His motorbike was also stolen.
Boda boda riders in Mathira, Nyeri County are a worried lot.
Reason? Six of their colleagues have been murdered in cold blood in the last three months.
Eliud Wambu, a boda boda rider in the area, had just acquired a new motorbike.
Last Sunday, the body of the young rider was found dumped two kilometres from Karatina town where he had reportedly gone to pick a passenger the previous night.
He is believed to have been lured to his death by an unknown person posing as a customer.
Police say investigations into Wambu’s killing have begun.
Mathira East police boss James Barasa, however, said no arrests had been made by Tuesday.
Wambu’s death, however, points to an increasingly alarming trend of bodaboda operators in the area being murdered and their motorcycles stolen.
A lobby of motorcyclists claims in three months, six of their members have been killed and their motorbikes stolen by people posing as clients.
Seriousness
The chairman of the 3,000-member strong Mathira boda boda Association Benjamin Mwangi told the Nation that police should consider the insecurity issue with the seriousness it deserves.
The Chairman of Mathira boda boda association Mr Benjamin Mwangi addressing his members in a past event. He called on the police to intensify investigations into the killings and bring the culprits to book.
“We are concerned about our safety. Six people losing their lives in three months is quite alarming, yet nobody has been arrested, we are appealing to the police to double their efforts to ensure our security,” Mr Mwangi said.
Mr Barasa was non-committal when asked about the progress of investigations on other incidents promising to release more information later.
The police boss advised the operators that for their safety, they should be extra careful when called by strangers to pick them, especially at night.
“When someone calls you and you don’t know them you should take your time and assess the risk,” he cautioned.
