President Kenyatta has ordered a nationwide crackdown on boda-boda operators following a disturbing incident where a female driver was sexually assaulted in Nairobi.

While condemning the incident, the president instructed law enforcement officers to clamp down on rogue boda-boda riders and ensure the perpetrators of the heinous act are brought to book.

“…I did give instructions that I have ordered a crackdown on all boda-boda operators starting here in Nairobi and moving all across the country,” Kenyatta said on Tuesday.

“So I have instructed the relevant law enforcement officers to use the instruments within the law to punish the culprits.”

He also directed a fresh registration of all boda-boda operators across the country as part of the government efforts to ensure sanity in the sector.

“We are going to reregister you all again and we must make sure that we safeguard women. There should never be a repeat of what we saw,” he added.

Kenyatta was speaking during the International Women’s Day celebrations at the Kenya School of Government in Lower Kabete, Nairobi.

On Monday, 16 boda-boda riders were arrested in connection with the sexual assault of the female motorist.

A video of the incident shows a group of men, believed to be boda-boda operators, undressing the woman and trying to pull her out. The victim can be heard screaming as the men molest her.

Police said the incident happened last Friday at around 5:00 pm after the woman, who was driving from Limuru, knocked down a pedestrian, prompting boda-boda riders to accost her.

The victim was rescued by police officers, who were around the scene of the incident. She sustained fractures on the leg and is admitted to Kiambu Level IV Hospital.