The positive consequence of Sonko’s ban of Bodaboda in CBD
Following a directive order by the Nairobi County Governor Mike Sonko Mbuvi as a way of decongesting Nairobi CBD, various business activities have been disrupted including the Bodaboda workers themselves. Sonko said that he will not be looking back concerning his attempt to decongest the Nairobi CBD. The Governor had a concern about a lot of Matatus and Bodaboda operating in the CBD which he thought were bringing about the congestion in CBD.
Early this year, Sonko decided to ban all the matatus from entering the CBD but this trial was a massive failure as Nairobi witnessed a long traffic jam ever witnessed in the country . This was a major setback for the County but Governor Sonko vowed not to turn back from his words and vision of decongesting Nairobi County. The following day, Sonko temporarily lifted the ban but Bodabodas were not spared, they have since been totally banned from accessing the CBD.
The ban on Bodaboda disrupted various business activities that were using Bodabodas as their mode of transport. One of the businesses was Glovo which is a Spanish company that was conceived in Barcelona that deals with order pick-ups and deliveries made by its customers via mobile apps. Glovo made its entry into the Kenyan market early this year and immediately started using Bodabodas to deliver foods and groceries to its customers within the CBD. Due to the ban that the Nairobi County Government placed concerning Bodabodas operating within the CBD, Glovo had to device a way that could still attend to its number of growing customers within the CBD so this week the business decided to take on skaters to do their day to day deliveries within the CBD. This was formalized under a contract agreement with skaters.
At the tail end it seems it is a win-win situation as employment opportunities that had been lost by the Bodabodas created a new channel of employment to other citizens who were operating in other fields of business to make ends meet. In the new arrangement, Nairobi citizens will see skaters making rounds and rounds within the CBD and know that ‘wako kazi’. Glovo now should just cross fingers and pray that the Sonko brigade will not go on to ban skaters from skating within the CBD.
