Tanzanian minister urges officials to address motorbike taxi grievances
Works, Transport and Communications minister, Mr Isack Kamwele
What you need to know:
- Works, Transport and Communications minister Isack Kamwele has ordered the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Leonard Chamuriho, to address complaints raised by Arusha motorcycle taxies operators
- The bodaboda riders claim that they are being unfairly arrested and slapped with hefty fines.
Dodoma. The Works, Transport and Communications minister, Mr Isack Kamwele, has directed the Permanent Secretary in his docket, Dr Leonard Chamuriho, to address complaints raised by Arusha motorcycle taxi riders (bodaboda).
The bodaboda operators have lodged complaints against officials from the Surface and Marine
Transport Authority (Sumatra) in the city that they were being arrested unfairly and slapped with hefty fines.
The minister issued the directive when opening a meeting, which brought together staff from his ministry on Sunday, March 24.
“We have received numerous complaints from Arusha bodaboda operators. They are allegedly arrested by Sumatra officials who fine them up to Sh120,000,” he said.
He added: “They have been withholding their motorcycles and forcing them pay Sh6,500 per day if they fail to pay the fines. This is unfair because laws are not made to impoverish people.”
This comes barely a day after the CCM secretary general, Dr Bashiru Ally, asked the Arusha authorities to settle their differences with petty traders sooner rather than later.
