The boda boda stages of Ruai wake up before the city does. By 5 AM, the riders are already ferrying passengers to Mihango, Utawala and beyond.
I spent a morning with them this week. Their concerns were practical: the cost of loans and fuel, insurance they can rarely afford, the shortage of designated stopping bays, and the constant risk of harassment as they go about their work.
One rider, Brian, put it plainly: 'We are not asking to be rich. We are asking for our work to be respected.'
Nairobi's Mama Mboga, hawkers, small traders, boda boda operators, artisans and informal entrepreneurs are not statistics. They are workers. They are taxpayers. They are parents. They are business owners. They are the people who keep Nairobi moving.
My pledge from that morning: a ward-based register of rider SACCOs, negotiated insurance pools to cut premiums, and a seat at the table whenever policy affecting them is made.
