National Assembly rejects Senate request to drop Boda Boda Bill
The National Assembly has voted to proceed with the Public Transport (Motorcycle Regulation) Bill, commonly known as the Boda Boda Bill, despite a formal request by its sponsor, Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, to halt further consideration.
In a sitting held on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, Speaker Moses Wetang’ula announced that Members had rejected the Senate’s plea to withdraw the Bill, paving the way for its continued legislative journey.
“The Nays have it, so the Bill will now proceed to second reading at an appropriate time,” Wetang’ula stated following the vote in the National Assembly chamber.
The Bill, designated as Senate Bill No. 38 of 2023, was passed by the Senate on December 4, 2024, and introduced in the National Assembly on March 7, 2025.
In a communication to the House on April 22, 2025, Wetang’ula informed MPs that the Senate, through Senator Khalwale, had formally requested the withdrawal of the Bill, citing “widespread public outcry regarding some of its provisions.”
“Honourable Members, if you recall, the Bill from the Senator for Kakamega seeks to introduce regulation and bring order to the bodaboda sector. He has since written to this House requesting its withdrawal, despite the Bill having already passed through the Senate,” the Speaker said at the time.
With the withdrawal rejected, the Bill now moves to the Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure, which will conduct public participation in line with Standing Order 127(5), before the proposed law is brought back for further debate.
Proposed regulations
The Bill outlines new rules for bodaboda operations across counties, aimed at improving safety and accountability in a sector that has remained largely informal.
Among its provisions is a restriction on rear-projecting loads extending more than 60 centimetres, with requirements to mark them using red indicators in daylight or lights at night.
It also prohibits riders from carrying loads and passengers simultaneously if the load exceeds 50 kilograms and limits the number of passengers to one.
Passengers must sit astride, using designated footrests, and riders are required to keep headlights on while in motion.
“For the purpose of this act, a load excludes luggage carried by a passenger provided such luggage does not exceed ten kilograms in weight and does not project more than fifteen centimetres beyond the outside end of the handlebars,” the Bill states.
The legislation would also require riders to hold valid driving licences and registration certificates and to wear approved safety gear.
Operators would need to ensure rear number plates remain visible and refrain from parking in undesignated areas.
Additional requirements include mandatory training in traffic laws, safety, customer care, emergency response, and vehicle maintenance.
Motorcycle owners would be obligated to provide two standard-compliant helmets and reflective jackets.
The Bill also accounts for special cases: children under the age of nine would be permitted to ride between an adult and the rider, provided they wear appropriate child helmets.
Furthermore, persons with disabilities would be exempt from sitting-astride regulations.
