Bodaboda riders: Stop seeing us as carriers of Covid-19
Over 400 boda boda riders plying along Thika Road have urged customers to stop profiling them as carriers of Coronavirus.
The riders made the appeal while receiving food donations from Rotary International, Capwell Industries, and Bank of Africa on Saturday.
The riders from areas of Juja, Thika, and Ruiru received rice, cooking fat, maize flour, sugar, and salt among other consumer items.
According to Nairobi-Thika road Rotary club president Miriam Nyawira, most riders have faced rejection and stigmatization as many of their customers view them as carriers of the deadly disease owing to their mode of operations and close interactions with people.
She said that most customers who previously used the means of transport have sought alternatives while many others have continued to stay home as a preventive measure thereby greatly affecting their businesses.
While spearheading the food donation exercise that also saw the riders sensitized on preventive measures and becoming good ambassadors, Nyawira said that business shock waves have a multiplier effect on their families and thus the need to lend them a hand.
“As an organization, through the help of other corporates, we will continue to support the alleviation of societal challenges especially during the tough Covid-19 season,” said Nyawira.
Riders led by Mwaura Kamande and Geoffrey Kung’u narrated the challenges they have been facing due to Covid-19 among them being reduced incomes.
While acclaiming the organizations for their good gesture, the riders demystified that they have been good followers of the government directives and should therefore not be profiled as coronavirus carriers.
During the exercise, the riders were also issued with face masks to keep them protected from contracting the diseases that have thrown the country and the world into confusion and irreversible economic downfalls.
