Motorcycle thieves posing as clients have been wreaking havoc on bodaboda and taxi operators in Nakuru, leaving a trail of injuries and fatalities in their wake.
According to reports, the thieves often target their victims at night, posing as clients who need to be dropped off at a specific location. However, once they reach their destination, the thieves turn against their victims, robbing them of their motorcycles and in some cases, even killing them.
One such victim is John Njenga, a bodaboda operator who was attacked by a group of robbers in January last year. The robbers, who were posing as clients, ordered Njenga to alight from his motorbike and sit down before pouncing on him. They robbed him of his motorbike, Sh2,000, and a phone worth Sh8,000, leaving him with severe injuries.
Njenga reported the incident at the Kiamunyi Police Station but says that the response was slow, allowing the thieves to flee to neighboring counties. He later took a Sh126,000 loan to buy a new motorcycle, but now works until 7pm for fear of being attacked again.
Another victim, Ibrahim Njihia, a 22-year-old bodaboda rider, was attacked by three men who posed as masons working at a construction site in Kaptembwa. They asked to be dropped off at Njoro sub-county, but upon reaching the Njoro junction, they turned against Njihia, assaulting him before taking off with his motorbike. However, Njihia and the seller of the motorbike were able to track it down to Kabel village in Baringo County, recovering it the same night at 1am.
The Nakuru West Police Commander, Samson Gathuku, denied that there was an increase in cases of bodaboda and taxi drivers being attacked, saying that they had received only two cases of motorcycle theft in the past six months. However, riders and taxi operators say that they do not report these cases because the police never act on them, and in most cases, ask for bribes from the victims.
