President William Ruto has vowed to support and defend the boda boda business amid mounting calls by his senior advisor, Makau Mutua, to ban the sector entirely in major cities. 

Speaking during a meeting with the Boda Boda Association at State House, Nairobi, on Thursday, August 7, President Ruto strongly defended the industry, promising that no one would be allowed to threaten or destabilize the boda boda business.

He emphasized his longstanding support for the sector, noting that he elevated the association to national dialogues during his 2022 presidential campaign. 

"If there is a leader who has done Harambees, stood with the boda boda business, it is me. No other leader has supported you like I have," Ruto said. "During the elections, two groups were at the centre of the talk: Mama mboga and boda boda. No one can threaten those businesses.”

This statement comes as the president's senior advisor has called for the ban of the boda boda business in major towns.

In recent weeks, Makau Mutua has engaged in online debates with Kenyans on the contentious issue of the boda boda industry.

In an opinion piece published in a local media house, Mutua argued for a total ban on boda boda operations in Kenya's cities and major towns.

Mutua accused the industry of causing mayhem, chaos, and death on the roads, terming it an existential threat to the security of the republic. 

Mutua's position became more pronounced following recent incidents of violence involving boda boda riders.

"I've repeatedly warned the nation about the existential threat of the boda boda industry, which has run amok. Here, in an orgy of violence, they collectively torch a bus after it allegedly knocked down one of them. We must ban boda boda pronto!" Mutua tweeted Thursday after riders allegedly burnt down a bus in the Donholm area.