Portraits of Amani National Congress (ANC) party leader Musalia Mudavadi were destroyed and burned by irate bodaboda riders from Mumias East on Tuesday.
The riders blocked Shianda-Malaha Road and disrupted operations on the busy Kakamega-Mumias road protesting the non-payment of Sh100,000 for accompanying Mudavadi during his tour of the area two weeks ago.
The more than 200 riders took to the streets putting under pressure one David Wamatsi for the denied pay.
“We entered into an agreement with organiser David Wamatsi that we would be paid Sh500 each after the rallies. We moved from Nyaporo, Isongo, Malaha, Shikulu to Kamashia and back to Shianda but the ANC members went without honouring our contract," said Peter Osundwa, the Shianda Town bodaboda treasurer.
The operators dismissed Mudavadi’s ambition saying those working for him will fail him terribly if they cannot manage small matters like paying the riders.
“If they cannot manage to pay this small number of motorcycle operators, how will they manage to run the country with billions of shillings?” noted Osundwa as quoted by the Star.
They accused Wamatsi of being used by an influential person in Nairobi to mess Mumias East politics.
“We know his sponsor. He is giving Wamatsi millions of shillings to campaign in Mumias East constituency so that he can disrupt the area politics and safeguard his interests," he added.
They described Mudavadi and Wamatsi as inept leaders with Wamatsi accused of switching off his phone and avoiding them.
The riders threatened to camp at his home and bar him from campaigning for ANC in Mumias if he does not pay.