The Boda Boda Safety Association of Kenya has come out strongly against a proposed motorcycle regulation Bill, warning that it could cripple a sector that supports millions of livelihoods across the country.

Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Infrastructure on Thursday, the association condemned the Public Transport (Motorcycle Regulation) Bill, terming it punitive, disconnected from reality, and likely to fuel extortion and poverty.

The Bill is sponsored by Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale.

“This Bill doesn’t bring safety, it brings suffering. It doesn't protect livelihoods, it threatens to wipe them out,” said Kevin Mubadi, President of the association.

The riders are particularly opposed to a plan to introduce 47 county-level Motorcycle Transport and Safety Boards despite the existence of the National Transport and Safety Authority.

They say this would create duplicate roles and subject them to unnecessary bureaucracy and exploitation.

“Why are we being asked to register again, to pay again, to verify again? This is not regulation. This is punishment,” Mubadi said. “It’s taking the little we earn and giving it to bureaucrats and cartels.”

The Bill also requires riders to join SACCOs—a move the association said would violate freedom of association and could exclude struggling operators.

“We are not against organisation—but it must be voluntary, not forced. This is how cartels begin. This is how dreams are killed,” Mubadi told the committee.

Among other disputed proposals are mandatory GPS tracking devices, standardised helmets and jackets by colour, and written contracts between owners and riders. The association argues that these demands are unaffordable and risk fuelling corruption.

“We are barely surviving as it is. Now you want to make us pay for trackers, for coloured jackets, for registration twice over, for approvals we don’t need? This is not regulation—it is exploitation wearing the mask of policy,” said Mubadi.

The association also objected to a clause capping load weights at 50 kilogrammes, saying it ignores the realities of rural transport, where boda bodas often carry goods like sacks of maize weighing over 90 kg.

“A sack of maize weighs more than 90 kg. This law would criminalise the transport of food. It would harm farmers, kill small businesses, and starve rural Kenya,” BAK warned.

They further cautioned that the attempt to fully devolve regulation would contradict national laws and breed confusion in implementation and enforcement.

“This Bill isn’t fixing anything. It's a solution in search of a problem—and it risks undoing years of progress by burying riders under red tape, fees, and fear,” said Mubadi.

The association wants the Bill withdrawn and called on Parliament to begin meaningful reforms to existing transport laws through inclusive public participation.

“The boda boda sector is not a threat. We are not criminals. We are fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters. We are job creators and community builders. This Bill is a betrayal of our efforts, our struggles, and our contribution to the economy,” Mubadi said.