The Motorcycle Couriers Union has raised strong concerns over the age limit stipulated in the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (Legislative Instrument 2180), which sets the minimum age for operating commercial motorcycles and tricycles at 25 years.
The union fears that this provision, if enforced, could render many of its younger members unemployed.
Speaking to Citi News, the General Secretary of the Motorcycle Couriers Union, Timothy Abugri, appealed to the government to reconsider the age requirement, suggesting it be reduced to 18 years.
“We were not consulted in the preparation of the LI. There are some things we have seen in the LI that we can be sure if consultations were made, we could have assisted before that passing,” he said.
Abugri further called on the government to allow the union to conduct training for its members before the regulation is enforced to avoid arrests by law enforcement agencies.
“They also talked about training that will bring certification, which will allow you to ride. The moment a law is passed, if a person doesn’t have the certification, the person will not be able to ride. In our sector, nobody has been trained.
“So, if a police officer stops anybody from my union and the person hasn’t been trained, what will we do? So, we think they should let us come together to get our buy-in before the LI is passed,” he explained.
The union is urging greater collaboration and dialogue with stakeholders to ensure that the law, while aiming to improve safety, does not unfairly impact livelihoods.