Uganda’s boda boda bikes are deadly polluters: study models how going electric could save lives. Gabriel Okello, University of Cambridge. Wed, April 9, 2025 at 4:13 PM UTC. 5 min read.

It's easy to assume that the name boda-boda came about as a spot of onomatopoeia; an attempt to capture the noise of the bikes' burbling engines. But a quick search online reveals that's not the case.

Kenya’s “Boda Girls” are turning a male-dominated industry upside down. Their favored customers are pregnant women needing rides to the hospital.

“All the boda boda riders must have a driving permit, the 3rd party insurance, PSV licence, a log book, an operational licence issued by KCCA, and a stage they are attached to,” he added.

One of the difficulties is that, for many, boda-bodas are a convenient, fast and cheap way to get around, and a convenient tool for the political class during an election year.

Boda boda riders around the city are alleging harassment over the mandatory registration of their bikes as directed by the Works ministry. In February, the State minister for Kampala Capital City ...