MY STORY: My life as a female boda boda rider

By RACHEL WAMBUI

“My name is Faith Kagai. I am 26 and married, with four children – two boys and two girls who are 10, eight, four and two years old.

“I was born and brought up in Kakamega. My father is disabled and my mother took care of the family, working in other people’s shambas and selling traditional brew. I went to school up to class eight. I couldn’t afford high school.

“I came to Nairobi in 2007. I got pregnant after primary school. My boyfriend was working in Nairobi. When he suggested I join him, I jumped at the offer kabla aniruke (before he changed his mind). Nairobi was exciting and I was happy because I didn’t have any other options at home. But in those first days I didn’t leave the vicinity of Kibera where we were living. Nimechanuka late – Nairobi nimejua vizuri vile nimeendesha boda (I got to know Nairobi late, after I started my boda business).

“I was young. I wasn’t even familiar with family planning – my second born came when the first one was still breastfeeding! Between 2007 and 2015, I stayed at home and took care of my children.

“I had always had an interest in riding a motorbike. I don’t know where it came from; at home we have boda-bodas but they are bicycles, not motorbikes. If a woman can ride a bicycle, I thought, why not a motorcycle? My husband is a boda-boda rider as well. Sometimes he’d ask me to help him push his bike inside our compound and I discovered that this thing wasn’t even heavy. One day his bike broke down and he used a lot of money to have it towed and to catch another boda home. He had two bikes so I asked him, ‘If you had already taught me how to ride si I would have come and picked you and you would have saved all that money?’ But he didn’t like the idea. He said it was too dangerous, that I should start another business.

“So this is what I did. I would wait for him to leave, then I would get on the extra bike and ask my niece to support me as I rode slowly. Then I told her to let go but not to tell me when she has let go. I practiced on a road where there weren’t many people. Then one day I timed my husband. Just as he was leaving church, there I was waiting for him. I wanted to surprise him. He asked me, ‘What are you doing?’ I told him, ‘I have come to pick you up!’ He asked, ‘Who taught you how to ride?’  I said I learnt it myself! Eventually he just shook his head, got on and I rode him home.

“I think he realised I was serious, but when he consulted with his friends they said our culture doesn’t allow women to ride boda bodas. I asked myself, these people who are telling him this, are they going to provide unga for us? With time he got softer. In November 2015, he paid for my lessons at Rocky Driving School. Today the school calls me as an extra instructor when students are doing tests.

“You have to get used to riding in traffic, so in the first month I carried people in the kijiji, from the main road to their houses. Then I moved to a spot along Ngong’ Road for three months. Then I moved to town. It’s been more than a year now.

“I thought women would be my main clients but sometimes they tell me, Hee, mimi siezi bebwa na dame (I can’t let a woman drive me). So my clients are mostly men. Some men ask too many questions, like are you married… I usually tell them tuache story mingi sababu sitaki kupata accident (I don’t want to talk too much, we might cause an accident). Some want to sit too close to me; they even pretend they are scared of bike rides so they need to hold on to me. You can’t get angry because you have to handle your customers well. Wanaume upima mtu akili (Men suss you out) and then when they realise you don’t want nonsense they leave you alone. Even the men I work with have come to respect me, but I had to show them that I could not be pushed around. I am also very lucky that my husband trusts me.

“The biggest stress in this job is city council askaris. They harass us a lot. Once, the Governor stopped by where we park and I engaged him about our problems. A few days later I was dropping off a client and these people pounced on me saying that I had insulted the Governor. They roughed me up and impounded my bike. Kanjo are the only ones who make me think of leaving this job. Maybe I stand out because I am the only female rider in town. I think maybe in the future I will buy more bikes and employ other riders and then I’ll start another business.

“In the meantime, nashikilia (I keep working). I am able to contribute to my family’s upkeep. In the morning I take care of my household duties and then my niece (who goes to college in the morning) relieves me at around 11am so that I can report to work at noon. If women can be in the police force and in the army, I don’t see why we cannot be boda-boda riders.”