Where motorcycle operators are saving lives, reducing crime

For Mary Misiko Chepurayi, starting a boda boda business in Makutano town, West Pokot, came as a blessing to the family.

Her attempt to make a living out of charcoal had failed.

But the 32-year-old says life has been bearable for the more than seven years she has been in the boda boda business.

The business earns her at least Sh1,500 per day.

“I was burning and selling charcoal to villagers. However, I didn't find anything good out of the activity. I decided to leave home and go to Makutano town where I acquired the motorcycle riding skills,” she says. "I bought my boda boda three years after saving for four years."

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Chepurayi operates on the Keringet-Makutano route.

Her venture has also been a blessing to expectant women who seek services at the Keringet Dispensary, where she frequently drops customers.

“I know the pains of a woman in labour,” she says. “I have chosen not to carry male passengers on my boda boda. I want to give women better services because they are often looked down upon by most operators.”

Besides earning her an income, Chepurayi has disabused traditional beliefs that stop women from engaging in the business.

“Women should move their minds from the myth of being housewives and giving birth. We are not weak creatures, but we can perform better if given an opportunity,” she says.

Chepurayi plans to buy a car once she saves enough money.

Another boda boda operator, Japheth Wekesa notes that the sector needs more women.

According to the operators, motorcycles are the preferred mode of transport in West Pokot due to their ability to reach even the most remote parts, which have poor or no roads. In some cases, residents use them to ferry the dead in areas where vehicles cannot access.

They also say the operators have helped reduce crime as most riders are reformed cattle rustlers.

“Some of us were leaders of criminal gangs, but since we abandoned those activities we have engaged in boda boda business. It is well paying and we are no longer living in abject poverty,” said one rider.