For many boda boda riders in Mwatate, Taita Taveta County, the motorcycle is more than a means of transport. It is their livelihood, their family’s source of income and, for some, the only asset they have worked hard to acquire.
But on Wednesday, fear took over the streets.
Scores of boda boda riders took to the road from Mwatate Police Station towards Voi, demanding urgent action over what they described as worsening insecurity targeting motorcycle operators in the area.
Their protest followed a disturbing incident in which one of their colleagues was allegedly shot in the leg and his motorcycle stolen during an attack in Mwatate town on Monday night.
The injured rider was later admitted to Moi County Referral Hospital in Voi, where his fellow riders found him being prepared for surgery.
The sight was difficult for them to ignore.
“He could have been any one of us,” one of the riders said during the protest, expressing the anxiety now gripping operators who routinely work late into the night.
For the riders, the latest attack has brought an old fear back to the surface: that they could leave home for work and fail to return.
‘We are no longer safe.'
The riders started their journey at Mwatate Police Station before heading towards Voi, where they met the Taita Taveta County Police Commander.
They presented their grievances, calling for increased security and faster investigations into motorcycle theft and attacks against boda boda operators.
They told the police that the problem goes beyond one incident, alleging that numerous motorcycles have been stolen in and around Mwatate.
According to the riders, 22 cases of boda boda motorcycles being stolen have been reported in Mwatate and county at large.
“We are losing our motorcycles one after another. These are not just motorcycles. They are our jobs,” a rider told the authorities.
The figure could not immediately be independently verified, and police were yet to publicly confirm the number of reported cases.
But for the riders gathered in Voi, the concern was clear: motorcycle theft can wipe out years of work overnight.
Many operators acquire their motorcycles through loans or financing arrangements, meaning the loss of a motorcycle can leave them without an income while repayment obligations continue.
The financing company comes under pressure.
The protest also turned the spotlight on a motorcycle financing company whose operations the riders questioned.
The operators alleged that some riders who lose financed motorcycles shortly after acquiring them are left struggling with repayments despite no longer having the asset that generates their income.
They particularly raised concerns over cases where motorcycles are stolen before the rider has completed the first three months of repayment.
“When the motorcycle is stolen, the debt does not disappear,” another rider said. “You have lost your source of income, but you are still expected to pay.”
The claims made by the riders had not been independently verified, and the company had not given its side of the story by the time of publication.
The protesters later travelled to the company’s offices to present their complaints directly.
But when they arrived, they found the premises closed.
The unanswered door only added to their frustration.
The riders eventually left without meeting the company’s representatives and without getting immediate answers to the questions they had hoped to raise.
A hospital visit that brought the protest home.
After engaging authorities, the riders went to Moi County Referral Hospital to check on their injured colleague.
He was reportedly being prepared for surgery when they arrived.
For the group, the hospital visit transformed the protest from a public demonstration into something deeply personal.
Their colleague lay injured, while outside the hospital his fellow riders discussed the dangers they say they encounter almost every day.
Some spoke quietly. Others expressed anger.
The message was consistent: they want to work without constantly worrying about whether a passenger could turn out to be a criminal or whether an ordinary night trip could end in an attack.
Boda boda riders often work after dark, moving through residential areas, trading centres and remote roads where security presence may be limited.
That exposure, they say, makes them particularly vulnerable.
Police investigation underway.
Regarding the shooting, the riders were informed that police investigations were still ongoing.
Police reportedly told them that a suspect had been arrested in the Old Market area, commonly known as Soko ya Zamani, in connection with the incident.
The circumstances surrounding the arrest and the specific allegations facing the suspect had not been made public at the time of the protest.
The injured rider’s motorcycle was also yet to be publicly confirmed as recovered.
The investigation is expected to establish what happened on the night of the attack and whether the incident is connected to other motorcycle theft cases reported in the area.
A livelihood under threat.
Beyond the immediate security concerns, the Mwatate protest has exposed the economic vulnerability of boda boda operators.
For a rider, losing a motorcycle can mean losing the ability to feed a family, pay school fees, meet household expenses or service a loan.
The motorcycle may have been acquired after months or years of saving or through a financing arrangement that requires regular payments.
That is why the riders are demanding more than arrests.
They want sustained security patrols, quicker investigations, better coordination between police and boda boda groups, and stronger measures to prevent motorcycle theft.
They also want motorcycle financing companies to listen to the realities faced by riders whose motorcycles are stolen.
“We are asking for security so that we can continue working,” one rider said. “We don’t want to demonstrate every time something happens. We want to go home safely after work.”
Their journey from Mwatate to Voi was therefore more than a protest.
It was a warning from a group of workers who say they are increasingly being forced to choose between earning a living and protecting themselves.
As the injured rider awaits treatment and police continue investigating the shooting, the question hanging over Mwatate is whether the latest attack will be a turning point or simply another case added to a growing list of motorcycle theft and insecurity complaints.
For the riders, the answer cannot come soon enough.
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