More than 1,200 boda boda operators from Athi River District on Thursday converged at a local church to hold prayers and thanks giving.
Their absence forced members of the public to walk long distances as they do their businesses with a few seeking taxi services.
Speaking at the service held at St Jude Catholic Church, Athi River Boda boda Youth Sacco Chairman Isaiah Wambua said the prayers were meant to thank God for keeping the operators from all the 27 stages within the region safe and alive in spite of many road accidents in the district.
Wambua said majority of the operators do not attend church services hence had weird behaviours and characters that could not be tolerated by both their clients and the Sacco’s leadership.
He said the prayers that were presided over by the church’s priest Father Josephat Makau was the first of its kind to be conducted in the district by the operators and was also intended to sensitise the traders on the need to ensure discipline in the industry.
“Boda boda operators should show discipline to their customers and colleagues. Lack of discipline gives the industry bad image thereby ruining the business,” said Wambua.
The chairman said that the Sacco had appointed some of their members to hunt on operators who had reportedly defied the meeting to conduct their businesses out of Athi River town.
He ordered that fuel should be drained from the suspects’ motorbikes and tyres flattened so as not to take advantage of the meeting to make profits at the expense of their colleagues.