Meet Nairobi Women Bikers With Love for Speed

Women on motorcycles are a sight to behold. In Nairobi, the number of women riding motorcycles has increased in recent years.

With the modern society now embracing female bikers, they are now jostling for space on Kenyan road and highways.

In Kenya, there is a growing population of women who love, ride and own motorcycles.

The Ink Sisterhood posing for a photo after a ride

BBC

The Ink Sisterhood is a place where women come together to support and learn from each other. Members of the organization are taught how to maintain their bikes, administer first aid, and manage racetracks and offroading.

They encourage women to break stereotypes and accomplish anything they set their mind to, including riding high performnce bikes.

“There are communities where women aren’t allowed to ride. But remember, you can do whatever you put your mind to,” Beverlyn Omwenga a member of the Sisterhood group stated in a previous event.

Patience Mehta, an administrator and farmer started the Ink Sisterhood as a way to connect and empower women who ride motorbikes. 

The sisterhood grew out of the Inked Bikers training school in Nairobi. 

“The ink is what we use to tell our riding story – it’s not because we all have tattoos,” a member of the sisterhood explained.

However the group has confronted a number of challenges along the way, as bikers have long been associated with trouble.  They have been denied access to buildings on countless occasions. 

“There’s an assumption that I am a rebel before anyone gives me a chance to introduce myself. Having a sisterhood to go back to really helps,” Lucy Monyenye a member of the sisterhood revealed.

Another problem the sisterhood has been dealt with is the negative perception the public has on riders on the road. 

Discrimination, according to Wamuyu, puts riders in danger. “Riders are perceived badly, and that’s where the risk begins,” she adds, adding that “people don’t pay attention to a rider’s safety.”

As a result, the Sisterhood promotes road safety and increases awareness through social media and outreach projects like “I Ride For Helmets,” which fights for commercial motorcyclists to have access to safety helmets.

A picture of a motorcycle by the road

File

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