Behind the helmet: The untold story of Nairobi's most popular female boda rider
When Juliet Odera (pictured) couldn't find a job in her field of study after college, she tapped into her passion for riding motorcycles and became a professional boda boda driver.
What you need to know:
- In a male-dominated industry of 1.8 million registered boda boda drivers, Juliet Odera stands out as one of only 1,000 female riders, breaking gender barriers through digital ride-hailing platforms.
- From secretly learning to ride in rural Siaya to becoming one of her organisation's top 100 drivers in Nairobi, her journey showcases how passion and persistence can overcome cultural stigmas and parental doubts.
The low rumble of an electric motorcycle announces Juliet Odera's arrival. Her striking yellow and black bike matches her bulky jacket, emblazoned with the ride-hailing service's logo. Behind the helmet that shields most of her face, passengers rarely guess who's really piloting their ride.
Then she speaks, and everything changes.
"I surprise people a lot," Juliet says, breaking into a shy but radiant smile. As a boda boda driver, she's grown used to the double-takes. Most passengers don't realise they're being driven by a woman until they see her name pop up on their phones during payment.
"They're like, 'You're a lady!'" she says with a laugh, clearly delighting in shattering expectations.
Sometimes, not even her name is enough to convince passengers – they assume she must be using someone else's account. "Until you speak out – then they realise," she says.
As a Gen-Z woman, Juliet stands out even among the few female riders who dare to enter the male-dominated motorcycle taxi industry.
According to the Ministry of Roads and Transport, Kenya has 1.8 million registered boda boda drivers, yet women remain starkly underrepresented. The Boda Boda Safety Association's (BAK) women's chapter counts just over 1,000 female riders today, up from 308 when it launched in 2020. This aligns with a 2018 National Crime Research Centre study that found women made up less than 3 percent of Kenya's boda boda drivers.
While the sector has long offered a lifeline for Kenya's youth, who face a staggering 43 percent unemployment rate among 18-35 year olds in 2024 according to Afrobarometer, women have largely remained on the side-lines. But that's beginning to change. The combination of economic pressures and the emergence of ride-hailing apps is creating new opportunities for women like Juliet to break into this lucrative field that requires no formal education.
Dense traffic
"Things are now digital," says Juliet, who works exclusively through ride hailing app, appreciating its built-in security features and harassment reporting mechanisms.
"The apps have opened more opportunities for women because we feel safer," she explains. Unlike traditional motorcycle stages where drivers wait for customers, digital platforms eliminate the uncertainty of "not knowing who you're going to meet." She puts it bluntly: "With stages, it's a matter of life and death for a female driver."
Safety concerns initially made her parents hesitant about her career choice, especially her mother. "She felt it wasn't safe, riding a motorbike in Nairobi city," Juliet recalls, noting the capital's dense traffic compared to her rural home.
It was in Siaya County where Juliet first learned to ride in 2018, as a high school student on her family's motorcycle. Despite parental resistance – "You know, African parents, they are against certain things" – her elder brother taught her over three days, recognising her determination.
The journey wasn't easy. "The first time I rode a motorcycle... I was so scared," she admits. But Juliet pushed through the fear, constantly encouraging herself to feel "bigger." Once she managed to ride solo, she was hooked.
"I said to myself, 'So, I can do this,'" she recalls with enthusiasm. "I felt like there is nothing I can never do in this world; so long as I have the passion, I can always go for it."
Riding motorcycles became Juliet's passion. Throughout high school, she seized every chance to ride – during holidays and sometimes secretly taking out the bike, driven by an inexplicable urge she couldn't resist.
Her friends celebrated her decision to become a rider.
"Most of my friends were very happy because they knew this was something that I ever wanted," she says. "They were telling me, 'at least you have gotten something that you've longed for.'"
When Juliet talks about riding, words sometimes fail her as she tries to capture the sense of happiness and freedom it brings, but her voice brims with enthusiasm.
That passion became her lifeline last year when she faced post-graduate unemployment.
"Now in Kenya, there are no job opportunities," she says with a laugh. Finding work after graduation, she explains, is nearly impossible without connections. "I have no connections at all," she adds, maintaining her cheerful smile despite the stark reality.
After moving to Nairobi for college, Juliet earned her diploma in corporate management in 2022. A stint at a bakery followed, but when that job ended, the reality of bills hit hard.
Juliet, who is among the less than three percent of Kenya's female boda boda drivers, says ride hailing apps have given women opportunities to earn a living.
"I could not just sit home and wait for people to help," she says. "I decided that I can do this thing since I had an idea of how to ride a motorbike."
When a friend mentioned that Greenwheels – a tech-enabled logistics company in Riverside, Nairobi – was hiring boda boda drivers for its electric motorcycle fleet, Juliet saw an opportunity. She decided to "just go for it," hoping to become "somewhat stable, financially."
It was her first application for a boda boda position, and she succeeded. Now, six months into professionally navigating Nairobi's congested streets, one of her favourite parts remains dodging traffic.
Juliet's day begins at 6am with sign-in and mandatory alcohol breathalyser tests before collecting her bike. By 6:30am, her first hailing app request typically arrives, launching her into "back-to-back trips" until she carves out time to eat.
"If you don't schedule yourself well, definitely, work will overload you," she cautions.
The job comes with its challenges: difficult customers who can "spoil" her day, and gruelling 12-hour shifts, six days a week. Battling extreme weather – from bitter cold to heavy rain – often leaves Juliet too exhausted to "even cook a simple meal" when she gets home.
The threat of accidents looms large; Juliet has witnessed a serious one first-hand. "I was very scared, but I just had to continue with the journey," she recalls. "You can't stop because the other person has been hit by a car."
Driving recklessly
As a safety measure, she maintains a strict speed limit of 60km per hour – a practice her customers, especially women, appreciate. Female passengers often express relief at being driven by a woman, she notes.
"They always say 'at least I was driven by our own,' that's the term they use, 'our own.'"
Juliet believes women might feel more comfortable with her because she's generally more cautious than her male counterparts. "I don't believe in driving recklessly," she says. "I'm always cautious."
Despite the demanding schedule, her work ethic and aspirations fuel her persistence. "There's no single day that being tired will demoralise me. I just wake up, go to work, so that I may be well-off," she says.
For Juliet, customer interactions are the job's greatest reward.
"It matters a lot," she says, noting how a single interaction can transform her entire day – especially when passengers praise her driving, offer tips, or encourage her to keep challenging the industry's gender norms.
"I receive a lot of applause from my customers, both male and female, but more so the women because they feel safer with me."
The impact of these exchanges runs deep. "If the interaction is good, definitely, your day will be smooth," she says.
At Greenwheels, where digital tracking monitors its 500 riders' performance, Juliet stands out. According to her direct line manager, Philip Muya, who heads driver operations, she ranks among the top 100 drivers, completing between 230 to 250 trips weekly.
"I would describe Juliet as someone who is really strong," Philip says. "She's really challenged herself."
Her consistent achievement of company targets over several months demonstrates her resilience, he adds. While they have employed other female drivers, Philip notes that most don't stay long.
The company has attempted to boost women's participation in the boda boda sector through various organisational partnerships, but with "varying degrees of success," according to CEO Nabil Anjarwalla. "Largely because of the cultural stigmas around becoming a female boda boda driver in what's largely a male dominated industry."
"We're proud to say that we've tried our best to empower women and offer them more safety and security," says Nabil, noting how the app's built-in trip records create inherent accountability.
"I definitely think that we can help create a safer space for women drivers." As the company expands, they're increasingly recruiting female drivers.
Among her peers, Juliet's driving prowess draws consistent praise, with many describing her as "very smooth" on the road. "She's the best," says Abel Ukokhe, a boda boda veteran since 2018 who works alongside her at the organisation. "Her stability on the road is 'wow,'" he adds, gesturing enthusiastically as he recalls his experience as her passenger.
Throughout the day, Juliet shares easy smiles with her co-workers. The camaraderie extends beyond the workplace onto the streets.
"They always ensure that they protect me outside, on the road," she says of her colleagues. "When they meet me stranded somewhere, they hoot and ask about my whereabouts."
This protective instinct extends to her male passengers too. When other vehicles encroach on her lane or make sudden moves, these customers often "do everything possible to protect" her, she says. "It surprised me, because I never thought that a stranger could protect you."
Harassment, Juliet says, has never been an issue for her as a woman motorcyclist. Her fellow Gen-Z drivers at the company view female riders as unremarkable now. As Edwin Wawaru puts it simply, "It's no big thing."
Juliet's advice for women considering the boda boda industry or other non-traditional careers is resolute: "If you have something you've decided you want to do, you should never, never at any point, be barred from it."
"At least make a trial before saying it's hard," she encourages, adding that any career opportunity deserves a chance, as risks often lead to new possibilities.
"Boda needs courage and persistence. If you're persistent in whatever you're doing, it will definitely become smooth on the roads."
She hopes her story will inspire other girls to chase their passions. The work has brought her financial stability, paying better than her previous bakery job and enabling her to manage her bills. Yet, despite her love for motorcycle riding, she doesn't see herself as a professional driver forever.
Her diploma holds the key to her future career plans. "This business is something right now. It shall be a stepping stone to another big thing," she says. "I always wish that one day, my doors should just open – God willing."
A position at a savings and credit cooperative organisation (Sacco) interests her. "My course was cooperative management; it majorly deals with Saccos," she explains. Given her boda boda experience, she believes a transportation-focused Sacco could be an ideal fit.
For now, she saves monthly toward a more tangible goal: owning her own motorcycle and becoming her own boss.
"If I get my motorcycle, I'll use it for boda boda and once I have the opportunity, and my 'doors fly open,'" says Juliet, "It will change from commercial purposes to my own use."