President William Ruto’s senior advisor on Constitutional Affairs, Prof Makau Mutua, has renewed his criticism of informal transport in Nairobi, this time targeting tuk tuks.

In a statement on his X account on Thursday, September 18, 2025, Mutua questioned why the three-wheeled vehicles were operating in the city. He described them as “pathetic contraptions” that were not roadworthy and warned that they would only worsen congestion and disorganisation in the capital.

“What are Tuk Tuks doing in Nairobi? Am I missing something? These pathetic contraptions aren’t roadworthy and must not be allowed to further degrade Nairobi. Sad,” Mutua wrote.

His remarks come just weeks after he demanded that boda bodas be banned from Kenya’s major cities following violent incidents involving riders.

In August, Mutua issued a strong statement after a fatal crash in Donholm led to the death of a rider. A mob, believed to be boda boda operators, set a bus on fire after the accident. Police said passengers and crew had already escaped before the mob torched the vehicle.

Boda boda

Mutua said the incident proved that the boda boda industry was out of control and posed serious safety and security risks.

“I’ve repeatedly warned the nation about the existential threat of the boda boda industry, which has run amok. Here, in an orgy of violence, they collectively torch a bus after it allegedly hit one of their number. We must ban boda boda pronto!” he said.

He added that no modern city should tolerate the chaos and indiscipline associated with boda bodas, insisting that a ban should be immediate.

The Boda Boda Association of Kenya (BAK) hit back, accusing Mutua of undermining a sector that supports over two million families. The group said his remarks were reckless and unfair, pointing out that boda bodas were central to the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.