On March 28, 2022, a Nairobi magistrate’s court acquitted 16 motorcycle taxi riders accused of a violent attack on a female diplomat, citing insufficient evidence. “The investigating officer having found no evidence to charge the suspects, I hereby release them,” ruled Senior Principal Magistrate Martha Nanzushi, per AFP. The riders were arrested earlier that month after a viral video showed men groping the diplomat and grabbing at her clothing as she screamed inside her car, its door forced open, following a traffic incident on Wangari Maathai Road.
Ringleader Faces Trial
A 17th suspect, identified as the alleged ringleader Zachariah Nyaora Obadia, was arrested on March 14 near the Tanzania border, 430 km northwest of Nairobi, after evading capture through a sewer duct. “He faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment if found guilty of sexual assault,” police stated, per Tuko.co.ke. Court documents noted the diplomat, based in Nairobi, also lost a phone valued at 130,000 Kenyan shillings ($1,100) during the attack. Obadia’s trial was set to proceed, with sexual assault carrying up to life imprisonment and robbery with violence potentially attracting the death penalty.
Public Outrage and Crackdown
The daylight assault on March 4, 2022, sparked widespread outrage, prompting protests in Nairobi against boda boda riders’ actions. “The shocking daylight attack sparked a furore,” with President Uhuru Kenyatta ordering a crackdown on motorcycle taxis, per Breitbart. Transport authorities conducted random checks, causing fares to rise as unlicensed riders avoided roads. Demonstrators demanded action against ongoing harassment by riders, with women’s groups highlighting a pattern of abuses ranging from “derogatory comments to rape,” per The Citizen.
Boda Boda Challenges
Motorcycle taxis, known as boda bodas, are vital in Kenya, with 1.4 million registered in 2018, per government data, serving as a primary transport mode due to the lack of a robust public commuter system. “The two-wheelers are a popular mode of transport in East Africa’s economic powerhouse,” AFP reported. However, riders, mostly young men, are notorious for violating traffic laws and assaulting drivers post-collisions. A 2019 interior ministry report labeled them a “threat to national security,” citing incidents like a 2020 attempted lynching of a former armed forces chief and a deputy governor’s car being torched.
Broader Implications
The acquittal highlighted challenges in prosecuting such cases, with eight of the 16 suspects claiming they were not riders but bystanders, per The East African. “They were arrested while waiting to board public service vehicles,” they told the court. The case fueled calls for better regulation of the boda boda sector, with 2022 proposals for a national database and licensing, per BBC. “The problem of violence against women… is well known,” a Kenyan broadcaster noted, urging systemic reforms to address safety and accountability in Kenya’s transport sector.
