Boda boda operators in Vihiga clashed with police Sunday evening in protest against a motorbike crackdown. The unrest paralysed transport along the Busia-Kisumu highway. Police fired teargas to disperse the protesters.
Transport along the Busia-Kisumu highway was paralysed Sunday evening after boda boda operators in Vihiga protested a police crackdown on motorbikes, which they deemed unfair and conducted without consulting their leadership. Operators blocked sections of the Kisumu-Busia road, lit fires, and erected barricades, causing long queues of lorries and disrupting a key western Kenya transport corridor.
Images and videos showed the situation escalating, with operators stoning other motorists. Police fired teargas canisters to disperse the group, and witnesses reported hearing gunshots, raising safety concerns for civilians and officers. Businesses in Luanda town shut early amid fears of looting.
At the time of publication, police had not issued a formal statement on the chaos. The boda boda sector sustains thousands of youths in Vihiga County, though it has faced recurring controversies, including operators torching a matatu in September 2025 after a fatal accident and a rider's murder at a February 2026 rally.
