A review of the Motorcycle Phenomenon on Levelihoods in Eldoret and Kakamega Municipalities

Abstract

Commercial motorcycle taxi has emerged as an important mode of road transport in many developing countries. In Kenya, it is only in the last one decade or so that this mode of transport, known popularly as boda boda gained prominence following a shift in economic policy geared towards reinvigorating growth. In this paper, we reviewed the phenomenal emergence of this mode of transport in Kenya using data from two urban areas – Kakamega and Eldoret municipalities, both located in Western part of the country. We focused specifically on earnings from the enterprise, ownership structure and the mode of operation. It has been established that the informal commercial motorcycle operation is an important source of livelihood to many poor urban households as it brings in a steady flow of daily income both to operators and motorcycle owners who happen to rent out their motorcycles. The boda boda operations also creates employment opportunity to many unskilled urban labour and further job opportunity to informal sector workers who wish to switch jobs in search of higher rewards. Boda boda business can be done on full-time or part-time basis. Those who work on full-time basis accounted for 82.1 percent while those who work as part-time operators accounted for 17.9 percent. The paper recommends further research on this informal transport sub-sector along rural-urban divide to ensure a more targeted approach aimed at improving livelihoods and eradicating poverty among the youth and other economically disadvantaged groups such as women. Keywords: Earnings, Ownership Structure, Mode of Operation, Boda Boda