State House lie?, youth still waiting for motorbikes

Confusion continues on the recent State House empowerment event in Nairobi, with questions emerging about whether all the youth who attended actually received the promised tools of trade. Reports suggest this may be yet another case of unfulfilled government pledges.

Dickens Kamau Odhiambo, a resident of the Savannah area in Nairobi, is among the youth who visited State House for the event. He now claims he never received the motorbike he was promised.

Speaking to KTN News, Odhiambo said he represented the Jitolee Association during the event and even posed for photographs with a motorbike. Despite being on the official list and waiting patiently, he left empty-handed. His subsequent attempts to follow up, he says, have yielded no results.

“It was a moment of great joy when we were taken to State House. We were picked up at 3am, and when I arrived, my name was on the list. I waited to be issued with the motorbike, but in the end, I left without it. When I went home, I kept pleading with the government to give me the motorbike I was promised, but instead, I started receiving calls from private numbers,” he said.

Odhiambo added: “You granted me a motorbike when we visited State House. Why don’t you just give it to me so that members of my group can see it?”

He further claimed that the explanation given was that the motorbikes were being taken back for registration. However, after publicly stating that his group had not received the promised equipment, he said the situation deteriorated, leading him to fear the offer might now be compromised.

“After I revealed that we hadn’t received the motorbike, a lot happened. Now, even if I were granted one, I wouldn’t take it. What if it has a tracker? I don’t want it,” he said.

Given the high levels of unemployment in his area, Odhiambo urged the government to introduce a system that can support more residents, many of whom are educated but remain unemployed.

“Youth in Jacaranda are being exploited, and that is not right. We need support. Sometimes, you find five people sharing one small house due to the harsh economic conditions,” he told KTN.

Another Jacaranda resident, Jared Oketch, who did not attend the State House event, said there was initial hope that those who did would bring back positive news.

“I was happy because I believed that we had finally received help. If Odhiambo had benefitted, I would also benefit in some way. But later, they told us they didn’t get the motorbikes they had hoped for,” he said.

Oketch urged fellow youth not to allow themselves to be used by politicians, cautioning that financial handouts do not provide sustainable solutions.

He also called on the government to lower taxation on motorbikes to enable youth to purchase their own, rather than relying on political handouts.

“It is wrong that youth are given Sh10,000 to compromise their peers across the country. Just visit Jacaranda and see for yourself how people are struggling. I urge my fellow youth—let’s stop being misused by politicians,” he added.

State House has denied claims that some of the youth who attended the empowerment event did not receive the promised tools, including motorcycles and other income-generating equipment.

State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed dismissed the allegations as false, stating that the process was orderly and transparent.

According to Mohamed, 1,100 registered youth groups from Nairobi submitted proposals for empowerment projects, with each group comprising 10 members and a chairperson responsible for the distribution of the equipment.

“That’s a total of 11,000 people,” he said in a statement posted on X.

In July 2023, the government unveiled plans to reduce taxes on the production costs of electric vehicles and motorbikes in a bid to make them more accessible.

President William Ruto, speaking during a visit to the Roam Park motorcycle assembly plant, said his administration aimed to increase the number of electric motorbikes in Kenya from 2,000 to 200,000 by the end of 2024.

“We want to have over 200,000 electric boda bodas by the end of next year. We have agreed with several companies, and that is why we have reduced five different taxes,” he said.

He also announced that VAT on electric boda bodas would be reduced, cutting the purchase price by 16 per cent to make them more affordable.

The President said the government had negotiated with electric mobility firm Spiro to supply affordable motorbikes, offering significant relief to boda boda riders.

Under the agreement, electric motorcycles would cost Sh95,000—down from Sh190,000 for petrol models. Riders would be required to pay a Sh9,500 deposit and make daily payments of Sh180.

In July this year, President Ruto announced that 70 women and youth in every ward would receive Sh50,000 each to start businesses, targeting 100,000 youth countrywide.

“This programme is part of our Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda. We are uplifting those at the bottom. The people criticising me are already at the top; they should let me focus on those at the grassroots,” the President said.