Kenyans online have demanded the arrest of men, believed to be boda boda operators, who were caught on camera assaulting a woman driver on Wangari Maathai Road in Nairobi.
In the undated video, the woman can be heard screaming as the men undress her while others order that she be removed from inside the car.
It is not clear what led to the unfortunate attack though some say there was an accident involving her and a boda boda operator.
The video caused an uproar on social media on Monday afternoon, with scores calling for the regulation of the boda boda sector to tame such incidents.
“The video of the lady being harassed on Forest Road due to the boda accident. How did we get this low? If we so readily oppress one another… are we so badly scarred that we’ve such little respect for each other? Boda riders need to be kept in check. Uber style accountability,” Laura Walubengo wrote on Twitter
Activist Njeri Migwi was among those who called out the shocking assault that was caught on camera, claiming the government has allowed the riders to be a law unto themselves.
“A young woman today was accosted by motorbike riders on Forest road, you can see them actually groping and rough handling her. We have as a country allowed boda bodas to be a law unto themselves. Her screams of terror and fear are a telling story of how we invalidate women,” Wa Migwi Tweeted.
Vocal lawyer Wahome Thuku took to Facebook on Monday, saying that three of the assailants caught in the video had already been identified.
He claimed a manhunt to bring them to book was underway.
Boda boda riders are notorious for turning into savages after an accident.
They have been known to torch cars, beat up drivers and steal from them, yet nothing ever seems to happen to reign them in and stop their barbaric actions.
They do not obey traffic rules and even when they are on the wrong side, they use their numbers to swarm around a helpless motorist, assault and take off.
Even statements by the Inspector General of Police have not helped bring sanity to this sector.
In November 2020, the IG Hilary Mutyambai condemned an incident where riders were captured on camera attacking a motorist on Thika Superhighway after he reportedly hit their colleague.
“This incident was unfortunate. NO ONE is above the law. Harassment by bodaboda riders is not acceptable at all and my officers are hunting down the riders captured here physically assaulting the driver,” IG Mutyambai said.
“I also urge the victim to report to the nearest police station.”
The motorist was finally rescued by a GSU officer manning a nearby facility.
Retired Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Julius Karangi in 2020, spoke of his encounter with this lawless group.
General Karangi disclosed that in September 2020, a boda boda rider hit his vehicle and within moments hundreds of boda boda operators arrived at the scene, hooting and threating to lynch him.
“About a month ago over 500 boda boda riders surrounded me within 30 seconds after one of them hit my vehicle,” he said.
“They were threatening me but they left after I looked at them and lowered my face mask. The crowd was no more. Imagine if it was one of you, you would have been reduced to ashes,” recounted Karangi.