Delivery businesses hit by boda boda crackdown
An Uber Eats cyclist pedals his bike after picking up food for delivery at Chicken Inn, Kenyatta Avenue on March 27, 2021.
Delivery businesses that rely on motorcycles have been crippled by the countrywide crackdown that began on Wednesday, with some firms advising customers to pick orders for themselves in the meantime.
Companies like Glovo, Uber Eats and Bolt Food, which have motorcyclists as an integral part of delivering products to buyers, have been hard-hit because police have been impounding riders’ motorcycles despite an earlier directive that courier bikes be spared.
A number of outlets have been unable to meet clients’ delivery requests, and it has had a ripple effect on merchants who sell products on online platforms.
Glovo Kenya’s general manager Priscilla Muhiu told Nation that some of the riders delivering orders under the platform had been arrested and charged with obstruction.
She noted that by Friday, operations had gone down “by a lot”. As much as half of the riders relying on Glovo, especially in Nairobi, were out of business on Friday.
The delivery companies have sent a letter to Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, his ICT counterpart Joe Mucheru and other stakeholders in the industry, seeking answers on the crackdown.
“As an industry, we are more than happy to work with the government to come up with the right approach,” said Ms Muhiu. “But to be honest, it (the crackdown) has really affected the business.”
Bolt Kenya said in a statement that it was in consultations “with the relevant authorities to ensure continuity of business”.
“Meanwhile, we have advised our riders and couriers to maintain full branding while on duty, and always carry with them all the required regulatory documentation,” it said.
The firm also asked customers who buy food through its Bolt Food platform to pick it from the sellers themselves by selecting the “pickup” option.
Uber, on the other hand, said in a brief statement that it is seeking “to better understand what the requirements are for boda boda operators”.
Each of the delivery businesses voiced their condemnation against the harassment by a female motorist by motorcyclists on Prof Wangari Maathai Road last week.
“We have zero tolerance for such behaviour and I understand why the government would want to do this,” said Ms Muhiu. “But I just think we need to do it in a way that doesn’t impact the couriers who have good intentions.”
Bolt said it has “a zero-tolerance policy regarding any form of unruly or violent activities from riders and couriers operating on our platform”.
The crackdown was ordered after a video emerged of a woman being inappropriately touched and harassed by an unruly mob that included motorcyclists drew condemnation from far and wide.
In a session with journalists on Friday, Dr Matiang’i said the crackdown would continue to ensure sanity in the sector, adding that it grew faster than the regulatory framework.
“Every day in Kenya, there are 22 million rides. If you multiply that with the basic charge of Sh50, it translates into a multi-billion-shilling industry. But we have to decide on weeding out the rogue elements within the sector,” said Dr Matiang’i.
The effect of the crackdown on the delivery motorcyclists is immense. Ms Muhiu painted a picture of the operations of Glovo.
“The riders rely on this for their daily income,” she said.
Added Ms Muhiu: “Don’t forget we have stores on the app that are relying on us to do the deliveries. That is your Naivas, your Carrefour, your Java, your KFC. We also have over 4,000 small stores on the application. And they are relying on Glovo to do the deliveries. So, we are really impacting businesses and also the couriers.”
