Nexus between emerging modes of transport and national security: a case study of Kenya.

Abstract

The name 'Boda boda' is synonymous to cycle taxis (both motorized and bicycles) in many parts of East Africa, especially Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania (motos in Rwanda). It originated from the small border town of Busia in Kenya. Small traders in this Kenya-Uganda frontier town (back in the late 1980's to early 90's), needed cheap transport to ferry goods (mainly cooking oil, soaps and other consumer goods from Kenya to Uganda and second hand clothes in the opposite direction). Motorbikes came in handy as cheap, convenient means for ferrying the business people and their wares from one border to the other, hence the name boda boda (border to border). The purpose of the study was to assess the nexus between emerging modes of transportation specifically the Boda bodas and the national security with a case study of Kenya. This involved the study of the reasons for the growth of the sub sector, impact on the security sector and what has been done by the government to mitigate these security challenges. This study will adopt a secondary analysis research design. Secondary analysis is a research method that involves analysing data collected by someone else. Secondary analysis combines both qualitative and quantitative data sources, to determine the connection between emerging modes of transportation and insecurity within Kenya. This research design determines how the researcher collects, analyses, and interprets the data in the study. Secondary analysis provides answers to a new research question based on observations and investigations of other researchers in the same field.