Boda boda riders in Nairobi switch off apps as matatu strike boosts demand for transport amid fuel price hikes, leaving commuters stranded across roads.

📻 Breaking It Down

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 18 — Ride-hailing boda boda operators abandoned digital apps on Monday and reverted to conventional roadside pick-ups as demand for two-wheel transport surged following a nationwide matatu strike triggered by soaring fuel prices.

A spot check by Capital FM across major Nairobi corridors revealed hundreds of boda boda riders opting to work offline in a bid to maximize earnings from stranded commuters scrambling to report to work and school after public transport operators grounded vehicles in protest over rising pump prices.

Some riders were seen carrying up to two passengers at a time as desperate commuters crowded roadsides along Kiambu Road, Thika Road, Waiyaki Way, Mombasa Road, Jogoo Road and Ngong Road.

📌 What You Need to Know

“Today is a good day for us because we have so many people to ferry. On normal days, only people in a hurry would use boda boda in the morning,” said Amos Mahaso, a boda boda rider who normally operates through ride-hailing apps.

“I have opted out of the app because I don’t want to be limited on the number of trips I can make today.”

The transport paralysis followed a coordinated shutdown by the Transport Sector Alliance (TSA), bringing together matatu operators, truckers, boda boda associations, digital taxi operators and logistics firms in one of the broadest transport protests witnessed in Kenya in recent years.

From dawn, bus stops remained packed with commuters while several matatu termini across Nairobi stayed deserted as transport operators enforced the strike over the latest fuel price hike announced by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) last week.

Under the latest review effective May 15, EPRA raised super petrol prices by Sh16.65 per litre and diesel by Sh46.29 per litre, pushing pump prices in Nairobi to Sh214.25 and Sh242.92 respectively.

The latest increase came barely a month after another sharp upward adjustment in April, when petrol rose by Sh28.69 and diesel by Sh40.30 per litre.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya