It looks like the days of ultra-cheap rides might be coming to an end for passengers in Kenya, but for the drivers behind the wheel, relief is finally on the horizon.
Following months of intense protests and negotiations, Kenyan transport authorities have ordered ride-hailing giants Uber and Bolt to immediately increase their fares by roughly 50 percent to match rising economic costs.
The directive comes straight from the Ministry for Roads and Transport, compelling the tech companies to adopt pricing guidelines that were actually suggested by the Automobile Association of Kenya (AAK) way back in 2023. For a long time, these guidelines sat on the shelf due to a lack of clear regulations, but the government is now putting its foot down.
Under the new pricing structure, the cost per kilometer is seeing a steep jump. For vehicles with small engines (1050cc), the kind most commonly used for these trips, the rate will rise from Sh22 to Sh33.1. That’s a 50.4 percent increase. Medium-engine cars aren’t left out either, with rates climbing from Sh26 to Sh36.8 per kilometer.
This decision didn’t happen just like that. For years, Kenyan drivers have argued that high fuel prices and the hefty commissions taken by the apps left them with peanuts at the end of the day.
Tensions boiled over in July 2024 when drivers took to the streets, demanding lower commissions and a minimum trip fare of 300 Kenyan Shillings. While Bolt offered a small 10 percent hike later that year, drivers dismissed it as barely scratching the surface of their expenses.
Paul King’ori, the Director of Road and Railways Transport, issued a strict ultimatum to the companies;
Uber and Bolt must adjust to the new AAK rates. The firms are given a seven-day window to respond with detailed procedures adopted to address the new increases
Yahya Ahmed, Head of Licensing at the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), clarified that this development was not made all of a sudden and that the guidelines had been sent to the companies a year ago but were never enforced.
On the drivers’ side, the frustration has been palpable. Nicholas Ogolla, General Secretary of the Transport Workers Union of Kenya (TAWU), criticized the apps for treating drivers like employees without giving them the benefits.
Drivers are called ‘independent contractors’, yet Uber and Bolt control every element of work: pricing, penalties, and deactivation. That is not independence; that is exploitation
The clock is now ticking on the seven-day deadline. For the drivers, this order feels like a hard-fought victory after years of feeling ignored. However, they stressed that they aren’t celebrating just yet; they have threatened to return to the streets if the apps fail to implement the new prices within the week.
