NAIROBI, Kenya October 23 – President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged boda-boda operators to resist attempts by politicians to use them to propel selfish ambitions ahead of the 2022 General Elections amid the heightened political activity surrounding the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) constitution review process.
Kenyatta, who spoke during a meeting with Boda Boda Association of Kenya(BAK) in Pumwani on Friday, asked riders to maximize their potential and create a strong industry in the country which will empower each rider.
“If you don’t respect your jobs and who you are, someone will pay you to use you and that is why during elections, politicians use and dump you afterwards. Is that the life you really want?” the President posed.
He urged them to remain committed to work and know their worth so that no one can take advantage of their inability to provide for themselves.
“If you look at yourself like a worthless person, that is how the world will treat you, but if you know your worth, you will earn the respect. If you demean yourself you will be used and dumped easily,” he said.
Kenyatta said the riders have a larger footprint country boasting of a 1.4 million riders carrying 22 million customers daily and cumulatively contributing 980 million daily.
The Head of State witnessed the signing of a major partnership between BAK, Capital Markets Authority, Rubis Energy and Nabo Capital which saw the launch of a Boda-boda investment scheme.
“You are a powerhouse and sleeping giant that needs to be re awakened, You have become a silent economic miracle in our mix and that is why i think this scheme came at a right time,” he said.
The President’s remarks were seemingly directed at Deputy President William Ruto who has been donating motorcycles, handcarts and saloon equipment to youth under his hustler movement campaign.
The strategy has been criticized as a ploy to begin early campaigns. Other State officials have also accused Ruto of fueling divisions through the hustler nation narrative pitting the poor against the rich.
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