WORRYING STATISTICS ON ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY BODA-BODA OPERATORS PROMPTS KISUMU BASED NGO TO CONDUCT SAFETY TRAINING.

                      NGO TRAINS CYCLISTS ON ROAD SAFETY.

The Cycling Out of Poverty Kenya Foundation (Coop-Kenya) has rolled out a massive awareness campaign program on road safety for boda-boda cyclists in Western Kenya.

The General Manager of Coop-Kenya Kennedy Ochieng Ombat said the cycling taxi system commonly referred to as ‘Boda boda’ has proved to the most convenient means of transport not only in the rural areas but also in urban centers thus the need to create more awareness.

“Recent findings from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) established that young boda boda riders aged between 19 and 39 years are reckless and not professionally trained thus causing high number of road accidents’’ revealed the Coop-Kenya MD.

He said that the decision to roll out this campaign was prompted by such worrying statistics and they are targeting to reach out to over 20,000 boda boda operators from all the counties in Nyanza and Western.

Speaking to the Media in Kisumu today at the sidelines of a training program for the operators, Ombat acknowledged that the boda boda sector has become part of the country's economy and cannot be ignored in any future planning on road safety.

“Today we have trained over 200 cyclists from Kisumu and Kakamega counties and equipped them with the necessary road safety knowledge that not only seek to prevent accidents but also to administer first aid to their passengers whenever an accident occurs” affirmed Ombat.

He revealed that the program will immediately resume at the beginning of New Year with trains in South Nyanza counties of Homabay and Migori.

The Coop-Kenya MD who was accompanied by the organization’s Programs Manager Clifford Okoth, appreciated other organizations they are partnering with in this program like the ministry of health through Siaya Referral Hospital, NTSA, Red Cross through St Johns Ambulance and the county government of Kisumu.

He said that the second of training on safety awareness which begins in January 2016, will see the operators get branded shades and bicycles for ease of management in their own groups and for ease of movement.

Today’s training saw the operators receive certificates and reflectors which they will use in their daily operations.

ENDS....