Of chaos, two wheels and two sides: How boda-bodas keep the country moving
Work Life
By
Mike Kihaki
| Oct 16, 2026
Few industries capture Kenya’s contradictions as vividly as the boda-boda sector. For millions, the motorcycle is a lifeline, ferrying passengers, delivering goods, creating jobs and connecting communities beyond the reach of conventional public transport.
For others, it has become a source of fear, associated with deadly crashes, reckless riding, mob violence and criminal attacks that have left families grieving and motorists demanding action.
From muddy village paths to Nairobi’s traffic-choked streets, boda-bodas have transformed how Kenyans move, trade and earn a living. Yet, as the industry expands, so do questions about road safety, accountability and the government’s ability to regulate a sector that has become both an economic powerhouse and a politically influential constituency.
The boda-boda industry traces its roots to the Kenya-Uganda border, particularly Busia, where bicycle taxis emerged in the 1960s and 1970s.
According to Alfred Ombajo, a rider who has been in the business for over 10 years, traders and travellers needed affordable transport to cover the stretches separating border posts. Bicycle operators stepped in to fill the gap, carrying people and goods for a fee.
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The name “boda-boda”, commonly understood as a corruption of “border to border”, became associated with the informal transport service.
“Over time, bicycles gave way to motorcycles. Imported motorcycles increased the speed, carrying capacity and operating range of the business, transforming an informal border service into one of East Africa’s most important forms of public transport,” Ombajo said.
READ: BODA BODA: A blessing or a curse
The transformation accelerated in Kenya after motorcycle import duty was removed in 2008, making the machines more affordable and encouraging widespread ownership. Motorcycles spread from border towns into rural trading centres, informal settlements, peri-urban neighbourhoods and major cities.
Flexibility
What began as a modest transport service evolved into a major source of employment and an essential component of the country’s informal economy.
Today, motorcycles serve communities where conventional public transport is unreliable, expensive or simply unavailable. Their popularity rests on a straightforward advantage: they can reach places that larger vehicles struggle to serve.
A motorcycle can negotiate a muddy village path, climb a steep slope, cross a narrow bridge or enter a settlement where a car would struggle. In congested towns, it can reach destinations faster than vehicles trapped in traffic.
For a farmer, that flexibility may mean transporting produce to market before it spoils. For a teacher posted to a school far from a tarmac road, it can make the final stretch of a daily journey possible. For a trader serving several villages, it can reduce the time and expense involved in reaching customers.
In this sense, boda-bodas have extended the practical reach of Kenya’s transport network beyond the infrastructure served by conventional roads and public transport.
Their role can be particularly significant in emergencies. A motorcycle may transport a patient towards a dispensary when other means of transport are unavailable, or take an injured person to a point where an ambulance can take over. Although it cannot replace properly equipped emergency services, its availability can be invaluable in isolated communities.
Motorcycles have also become woven into everyday social life. In some rural areas, families facing poverty and unable to afford a hearse have even relied on motorcycles to transport deceased relatives home along difficult routes.
These uses illustrate how deeply the industry is embedded in communities, serving needs that extend far beyond ordinary passenger transport.
For James Mwangi, a boda-boda operator in Umoja, the industry offers young people an opportunity to earn an income when formal employment is difficult to secure.
“For a young person with limited capital and few formal employment opportunities, a motorcycle can provide a pathway into the labour market,” he said.
According to Mwangi, each motorcycle supports a wider network of businesses, including mechanics, spare-parts dealers, tyre sellers, fuel attendants, motorcycle washers, driving instructors, insurers and motorcycle dealers.
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Kenya’s Ministry of Roads and Transport has recognised the sector’s contribution to social and economic development, citing industry estimates that more than one million people earn a living from boda-boda-related activities.
For riders such as Martin Bosire of Nyamache, income from daily trips helps pay rent, buy food, meet school fees and support relatives.
“The motorcycle has also become the backbone of Kenya’s last-mile economy, where many business operators depend on riders to deliver their products. Restaurants now use boda-bodas to deliver meals to customers in offices,” he said.
Online businesses use motorcycles to connect warehouses with customers, while small traders can send parcels across town without hiring an expensive vehicle.
The sector’s contribution, however, extends beyond the direct income earned by riders. Its network of ancillary businesses supports livelihoods across the supply chain, while its delivery services help businesses reach customers quickly and affordably.
Yet the same speed and manoeuvrability that make motorcycles attractive can become liabilities when combined with reckless overtaking, speeding, poor lane discipline and disregard for traffic signals.
James Mwangi, a traffic marshal with Nairobi County, identifies non-compliance with traffic laws, road crashes, air pollution and noise as major concerns.
“Some riders speed, ride against traffic, use pavements, carry passengers without proper protective equipment or stop in dangerous places to pick up customers,” he said.
Air pollution
Such behaviour puts riders, passengers, pedestrians and other motorists at risk. Riders themselves are particularly vulnerable because motorcycles offer little physical protection during a collision.
Beyond road safety, motorcycles have also featured in some of Kenya’s most disturbing criminal cases, fuelling anxiety among motorists and the wider public.
For some motorists, traffic jams have become a theatre of terror, where gunmen strike with chilling precision before disappearing into the congestion on motorcycles, leaving behind shattered families, unanswered questions and a public demanding justice.
On September 9, 2025, prominent Nairobi lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu was shot dead along Magadi Road in Karen. The former chairman of the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal and University of Nairobi law lecturer was reportedly attacked by gunmen travelling on a motorcycle.
Months earlier, on April 30, 2025, Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were was shot dead near the City Mortuary roundabout along Ngong Road. The attackers reportedly escaped on a motorcycle.
Businessman Jacob Juma was murdered along Lenana Road in Nairobi on May 5, 2016, while businessman Sagar Panara was shot outside his Parklands home on September 24, 2024. Both killings were reported to have involved assailants using motorcycles.
In Kisumu, Hannington Were, the 39-year-old son of former MP David Were, was reportedly attacked by two men on a motorcycle in May 2025 and died from stab wounds.
These cases have fuelled public anxiety about motorcycle-enabled crime. They do not, however, establish that the wider boda-boda industry was responsible or that the attacks shared a common motive.
On April 9, 2025, Nelson Mwangi, chairman of the Mass Mobility Operators Association, called on the government to take decisive action against violence and indiscipline.
ALSO READ: From transport lifeline to security crisis; the growing boda boda menace
“We are calling on the government to take action. Enough is enough. They must act,” the association said, expressing concern about what it viewed as inadequate condemnation of such crimes by relevant government officials.
Tensions have also erupted when road crashes involving motorcycles have triggered retaliation and mob violence.
On September 1, 2025, a Super Metro matatu was torched near Juja following a fatal accident allegedly involving a boda-boda rider.
Five days later, a 14-seater matatu was set ablaze in Luanda, Vihiga County, after another fatal collision. Ironically, the vehicle reportedly belonged to a transport investment associated with boda-boda operators themselves.
After an altercation, the car owner reportedly shot both motorcycle occupants, prompting a crowd to torch the vehicle. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority announced preliminary investigations into the incident.
The Motorists Association of Kenya echoed concerns about the violence, insisting that road accidents could never justify mob justice.
Its secretary, Wilfred Bosire, warned: “Accidents, however tragic, must never be met with violence and mob justice. Kenya is a country governed by laws. Resorting to violence is anarchy.”
Perhaps the most shocking reminder of the dangers surrounding the sector came on March 8, 2022, when a video circulated widely showing boda-boda riders assaulting and sexually molesting a female motorist following an accident on Wangari Maathai Road in Nairobi.
The public outcry prompted police crackdowns, arrests and the seizure of motorcycles as authorities demanded licences, insurance, logbooks and other compliance documents.
President William Ruto, then Deputy President, publicly called for the release of riders and motorcycles detained during a crackdown.
During the Jubilee administration, proposals to strengthen regulation faced challenges as motorcycle operators became an increasingly influential political constituency.
Hustler movement
Boda-boda operators and mama mboga traders subsequently became prominent symbols of Ruto’s hustler political movement, making the sector an important consideration in the politics of regulation.
Today, the political cost of regulating the industry remains evident in the debate over the Public Transport (Motorcycle Regulation) Bill, 2023, sponsored by Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale.
The proposal seeks to establish county-level regulatory boards and require operators to belong to savings and credit cooperative societies (SACCOs).
National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah has argued that legislation must be developed with meaningful stakeholder participation.
The government has already acknowledged the need for stronger regulation. Its National Road Safety Action Plan 2024–2028 calls for better enforcement, safer infrastructure, improved post-crash care and safer working conditions for drivers and motorcycle riders.
The plan also cites approximately 2.5 million registered boda-bodas, of which about 1.8 million are active.
The human cost of road crashes underscores the urgency of the challenge. National Transport and Safety Authority data shows that motorcycle rider deaths increased from 1,055 in 2024 to 1,148 in 2025, an 8.8 per cent rise.
Deaths among pillion passengers increased from 375 to 432 over the same period, a 15.2 per cent rise. Overall, 4,748 people died on Kenyan roads in 2024.
For Mary Moraa, from Kiambaa, the statistics represent a personal tragedy. She lost her husband following a crash attributed to reckless riding, leaving the family struggling with the financial and emotional consequences.
“Before he died, we spent Sh900,000 on his medication. We sold all our animals at home to pay his medical bills,” she said.
She said the injuries left her husband unable to work, forcing the family to depend on relatives for survival.
The financial burden of such injuries can persist long after a crash. Survivors may require months or years of treatment, including emergency care, surgery and rehabilitation. The costs can overwhelm families while adding pressure to already stretched health facilities.
Police and community leaders have repeatedly raised concerns about criminals using motorcycles to approach victims, snatch property or escape after committing crimes.
Riders who depend on public trust to earn a living risk being treated with suspicion because criminals have exploited the same mode of transport.
Kevin Mubadi, national chairman of the Boda Boda Safety Association of Kenya, has called for criminal elements to be removed from the industry and prosecuted.
“A responsible rider should not be treated like a criminal simply because another rider committed a crime. Equally, being a boda-boda operator should never become a shield against prosecution,” he said.
Mass Mobility Operators Association chairman Nelson Mwangi has also demanded government action against violence, while the association’s secretary, Wilfred Bosire, has warned that accidents must never become an excuse for mob justice.
For Andrew Mayaka, a Nairobi boda-boda operator, the answer lies partly in proper licensing and stronger rider associations capable of enforcing discipline and improving accountability.
The challenge for policymakers is to address these concerns without undermining the livelihoods of millions who depend on the sector. Better licensing, enforcement of traffic laws, effective rider associations and reliable identification systems could help distinguish responsible operators from those who break the law.