In East Africa and some other parts of Africa, we got our ‘Eureka’ moment and determined that the answer to instant youth unemployment, poverty and a mass rapid transit system, was self-employment and hence the introduction of the Boda-boda and Tuk-tuk. Why not kill two birds with one stone, eh? In any case, what is good for India and Thailand must be better for us, since we third worlders are strong advocates of  ‘appropriate technologies’ and are tired of the West. No, we were not going to imitate their nasty expensive electric over and under ground trains and trams. No, we were determined to find an African solution to an African problem. Consequently, somewhere in the scheme of things, two and three wheeled motorised cycles were imported from Asia and distributed hurriedly and widely to the unemployed youth of Africa with the promise of wealth and job security. 

In our enthusiasm and revel at finding an advanced solution to a problem that could otherwise have dire social and political consequences, we forgot the necessary infrastructure requisite for this new solution.We forgot that our roads were thin and mostly potholedwhere the Boda-boda and Tuk-tuk must vie for spacewith buses, cars, trailers, lorries, bicycles, wheel-cartsand pedestrians. We did not realize that new traffic and safety regulations should accompany this new mode of transport. We do not seem to have consulted our health experts on the dangers of riding the motorized cycles without the protective gear against nature’s elements (dust, rain and wind), and the carbon monoxide from other vehicles that would have unforeseen health consequences. I hear that long periods of riding expose riders’ reproductive organs to danger! Remind me, did we think through the total socio-economic impact of this mode of transport? Stories abound of young men abandoning their farms and villages for the boda-bodalife-style in the urban centres.

The Boda-boda and Tuk-tuk stationed at every corner and junction of our cities, towns, villages, highways, roads and paths have become an integral part of our daily lives and evolved a culture tinged by mutiny and defiance. I prefer to call this the ‘Boda culture’. It is a culture of haste and getting what you want when you want no matter what – a culture of impunity – a law unto themselves. The motto of the boda-bodas and tuk-tuks seems to be; ‘I am the only one with places to go. All you others must wait’, similar to that of our VIPs who shovemotorists off roads with their sirens and imposing entourages. At times, one wonders about who influences who  between the boda-boda and the politician.

This culture cuts across every norm and custom and reigns large in our lives. It flouts every traffic law with the connivance of the law keeper. I cannot tell whether these antics are due to ignorance of the said law, general stupidity, sheer impudence or a combination of any of these. How can one explain an overloaded Boda-boda(four passengers and a wide load of iron roofing) attempting to snake its way through a traffic jam and in the process scratching two cars, all in view of a traffic policeman? In the meantime, another Boda-bodaferrying a policeman is coming at you full speed in the wrong lane and another is driving on the pavement and pedestrians scamper in all directions. Efforts to bring the unruly growth and conduct of boda-boda under control often leads to disputes with urban authorities. Destruction of property and death often accompanyboda-boda riots when authorities attempt to introduce regulation for this mode of transport. Boda-bodas have been known to bring burglars to a site and then bring the rescuers and/or police later. In this melee, politicians exploit boda-bodas for political gain.

Have the Boda-bodas resolved the issue of youth unemployment? Travelling across East Africa, the picture says ‘not really’! I would say that unemployment was just motorized, what I call ‘unemployment on wheels’. The sight of redundant riders is common and would probably need doctoral research to decipher its insinuations. They say ‘a picture paints a thousand words’. Here are some pictures from my travels in Western Kenya.