We must be ready for trouble always
By Editorial.Team, March 10, 2022Last Friday, a female motorist was manhandled on Prof Wangari Maathai Road in Nairobi after she was involved in an accident with a boda boda rider. As a result, a group of motorcyclists cornered the woman and went as far as sexually molesting her. The act has been condemned by the public including the high and mighty.
On Sunday, a multistoried building under construction in Kiambu County collapsed, leaning on an adjacent block. It did not only endanger lives but also ruined investments by innocent people. The two incidents point to serious lapses in enforcing the law.
Unfortunately, after the incident, government officials were all over the place saying this or that trying to enforce rules after the fact.
These are events that could have been avoided had those in authority done what they are supposed to do on a daily basis – enforce the law.
It is a shame that after the boda boda incident the government has come up with a raft of measures aimed at bringing sanity to the largely unregulated puablic transport sector.
The ministry of Interior yesterday announced boda boda riders will have to be vetted and those who pass will be given smart rider’s licences for free. Why was this not done from the onset?
With almost 2.4 million riders out there with no record, the government was dancing on a tinderbox. Yesterday, it also directed that boda boda riders will only operate under Saccos.
This has so far worked well in the matatu industry where the organised groups are responsible for vetting drivers and conductors and face charges should they allow errant members to join the trade.
Speaking during a television show this week the Association of Construction Managers of Kenya chairperson Oka Nahashon blamed the collapse of buildings under construction on “developer’s alacrity to shortcuts”, adding that deficit in ethics is what brewed corruption and a conservative and stubbornly fractured industry.
As expected the Kiambu County officials said they are investigating the contractor and ordered that the building be brought down immediately. This, too, could have been avoided.
The examples of officials sleeping on the job are many; the repercussions of such negligence are dire. We call on the government to be proactive in enforcing the law. For some, it may be too little too late; however, this should be a starting point to getting it right and getting it right all the time.