Thika traffic commandant Apelles Chacha have asked bodaboda operators to be cautious of their security and stop operating in the wee hours of the night to avoid robbers.
Chacha asked operators to know their customers well and the reason why they were travelling at night.
“Bodaboda operators should ensure their own security starts with them by knowing their night customers and their reasons of travelling at night,” she said.
Speaking from her office in Thika Town on Wednesday, Chacha said the government was committed to ensure security and promised to work with the operators in a bid to boost security levels.
“I send a caution to the operators that they must stop blanket condemnation and instead understand how the law works,” she added.
Chacha asked residents not to blame the police after convicts are released by courts of law citing that their mandate is to arrest and the rest should be handled by the courts of law. She revealed that suspects have rights in the constitution to be released on bonds.
The commandant said a number of bodaboda operators in the past few months had been murdered by robbers yet police had not prosecuted anyone. Bodaboda operators during a recent demo had alleged crime rate was high in the area with Thika traffic police doing little to curb the problem at night.
The operators blocked Jua kali-Thika Town Road accusing police of laxity and taking of bribes at the expense of security.