NTSA’s new system aims to identify boda boda riders and their designated operating areas.
NTSA says the digital system will identify riders, map their operating areas and help establish motorcycle ownership.
The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has rolled out a nationwide boda boda tracking system to identify riders and their operating areas. The move comes amid concerns about crimes involving motorcycle operators.
NTSA Assistant Director of Road Safety Programmes Samuel Musumba said the Boda Boda Management System would strengthen accountability. It records riders’ designated operating areas, drop-off zones and stages.
How the boda boda tracking system works
Musumba said the digital platform would help the government trace individual riders and establish motorcycle ownership. This includes identifying ownership of motorcycles reported stolen.
The authority is also working with county governments to register riders under recognised savings and credit co-operative societies (SACCOs). Alongside registration, the initiative seeks to organise operators around designated stages.
Musumba said SACCOs would use the system to trace riders and help resolve questions about motorcycle ownership. As a result, the platform is expected to support efforts to address theft and ownership disputes.
He described the broader aim as regulation rather than punishment, saying the sector needed clear operating structures.
Nairobi riders adopt colour-coded jackets
Meanwhile, Nairobi has begun implementing the system, with riders using different reflector-jacket colours to identify their operating areas. Musumba cited Lang’ata and Waiyaki Way as examples of areas whose riders use distinct colours.
He said counties had also established specialised enforcement units to check riders’ SACCO registration. These units verify whether operators follow the designated operating structures.
The reforms also draw on recommendations from a task force established by former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i. That task force proposed training riders and bringing them into SACCOs to strengthen leadership and encourage responsible operations.
Musumba linked the current registration drive to those recommendations, placing rider identification alongside efforts to organise the industry.
