Bodaa Salama Project: Empowering Women in Kenya’s Bodaboda Industry for Safe and Inclusive Transportation

Women face significant disadvantages in the male-dominated bodaboda industry. Stakeholders are being encouraged to empower women, enabling them to join and actively participate in an industry known for providing self-employment opportunities to many unemployed youths in Kenya.

Under the ‘Bodaa Salama Project,’ over 370 youths, organized into 10 self-help groups, are celebrating their improved circumstances.

Global Civic Sharing, an International Development NGO, provided comprehensive training on motorcycle road safety and also equipped them with motorcycle riding gear, enhancing the safety of bodaboda transportation.

The three-year project, initiated in 2021, also educated youth bodaboda operators on human rights and gender sensitivity, empowering them to adhere to traffic laws and uphold the rights of all road users, including customers.

Thirty women bodaboda operators are among the project’s beneficiaries.

Despite the prevalent fear among women regarding harassment in the bodaboda business, these 30 operators received training, obtained driving licenses, and have since been earning their livelihood in the industry, overcoming challenges posed by their male counterparts.

Samuel Kioko, the project manager, highlighted that the beneficiaries have been empowered. They are actively creating awareness and conducting training sessions on road safety to ensure their sustainability as well as to provide more bodaboda operators with the opportunity to learn and apply the Bodaa Salama Principles long after the completion of the Bodaa Salama Project.