This archive report was first published on 2 October 2021.
On a sunny Saturday, October 2, 2021, the Nakuru ASK Showground played host to an unusual football match. Police officers and boda boda riders from Nakuru came together, donning their respective jerseys - yellow for the cops and blue for the riders.
As the match progressed, the atmosphere was light-hearted, with police officers jokingly telling each other to 'arrest' the riders, who responded by asking them to 'disarm'. The friendly banter was a far cry from the usual perceptions of boda boda riders as unruly and members of criminal gangs.
Nakuru County Police Commander Beatrice Kiraguri, who organized the match, explained her intentions: 'I organised the match to help us thaw relations with the boda boda riders.' She added that the goal was to inculcate a culture of collaboration between police officers and boda boda riders in weeding out criminals.
As the match reached its second half, the scores were level at 1-1, with police commanders from different sub-counties in Nakuru watching the spectacle.
