gta-138: Kisumu, Kenya, cycle-based transport services

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Global Transport Atlas

Series 1 - Global

Transport Notes

GTA-138 September 2006 Page 1

GTA-138 Kusumu, Kenya

Cycle-based transport services

Kenya,

bicycles

This is a 2013 re-issue of a 2006

document in a revised format.

The contents have not been

updated.

Sources:

Naboth Okoth (author)

Robert Bartlett (Ed.)

Cycle-based transport services in Kenya

The Ngware Bicycle Transporters Youth Group

In 1994, four young unemployed school graduates in the western Kenya

city of Kisumu set up a new group. Their aim was to provide transportservices for cargo and pedestrians, using bicycles - a type of service

which has come to be known as "boda-boda". Today this group has

grown to include 34,400 stakeholders and their families. In Kisumu

itself, according to UN Habitat, the share of road transport is made up

of :

48% motor vehicles

40% boda boda

5% hand carts

7% pedestrians

This article describes the organisation, the vehicles and the challenges

which it still has to face.

Youth club cycle operators ofhe Ngware Bicycle Transporters Youth Group, 2005 (photo: Naboth Okoth)


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Series 1 - Global Transport Notes

GTA-138 : Kusumu, Kenya: Cycle-based transport

services


About the Author

The writer of this information note is Naboth Juma

Okoth. He has been the chairman of the Ngware

Bicycle Transporters youth group since 1997, andhas also been Secretary of theKisumu Branch of

Kenyas Union of the Blind since 1997. He previously

worked for a company as a maintenance store

manager. Mr. Okoth says that his career aspirations

are

To develop a full fledged business that can

provide income and even job opportunities to

members and other people who are less

fortunate members of society.

To provide support to other visually disabled

persons.

To furnish a business empire that can lead to

rural development and transport in rural areas.

Mr. Okoth is 42 years old, and married. Besides

English, he also speaks Kiswahili and Dholou.

Contact: [email protected]

1. Introduction

Kenya has a population of some 32 million and a

land area of just under 600,000 sq.km. There are 8

administrative provinces, of which Nyanza is, in

terms of population, the third largest. The World

Bank puts the poverty level at 55%, annual gross

national income is only $ 400 per person, and life

expectancy only 45 years. English is an official

language and is widely used for business and

government purposes. Kiswahili (also called Swahili)is the other official language, and its use is promoted

to encourage national unity.

The city of Kisumu, in Nyanza province, is Kenya's

third largest city, but even so has a population of

only around 15% of that of the capital city, Nairobi.

It has been described as a "pleasant, sleepy town on

the shores of Lake Victoria, and is the main town in

the Western Highlands. In 1901 it became the

administration centre of the area with the

completion of the railway line from Mombasa. For

decades it was the hub of transport activity betweenthe coast and Uganda and Western Tanganyika,

but the splintering of the East African

Community in 1977 cost it much of its business.

Operator with bicycle, waiting for customer. The green

T-shirt is part of the special clothing worn by operators

(Naboth Okoth, 2005)


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2. The Operating Environment

Kisumu is the third largest town in Kenya owes its

existence and development to transport

infrastructure. The Kenya-Uganda railway line

reached Kisumu in 1901 and this railway network

has seen the sprouting of satellite towns such as

Kibos Chiga and Kisian influencing the citys growth

pattern. The town is located in the main transitional

highway, linking it to the other towns and cities in

neighboring countries and to the rest of Kenya by a

network of roads.

The road connections in the city and its suburbs also

influence its growth, both in terms of human and

vehicular populations, currently it is estimated to

have an annual fleet growth of about 1,000 vehicles.

Between 750 and 1200 vehicles are licensed every

month out of which between 50 and 100 are for

public service and 200 bicycles taxi are being

registered also. Demand for cheap transport within

the city has also led to the influx od bicycle taxis

(non motorized transport) popularly known as

Ngware or Boda-Boda.

The Boda-Boda (Ngware ) business has developed

into a major income earner particularly for the

youths who cannot find formal employment. It is

estimated that about 10,400 bicycles taxis serve

various routes in the city. Source: Update

registration by the Central Body of Kisumu Bicycle

Transporters (Umbrella body).

Despite its population growth and transport

network, Kisumu town like other towns in the

Eastern African region, is faced with various

transport related challenges namely: Poor

infrastrucre, insufficient transport structures, Poor

planning, Lack of awareness and resources. On the

benefits of low cost mobility options. Due to the fact

that the current bicycle transport development was

not envisaged by city planners, no commensurate

provisions were made for cyclists in any form, be it

bicycle tracks, foot paths or others. This has resulted

in traffic congestion, road accidents and

indiscriminate disposal of waste, all leading to the

towns environmental degration. The situation is

worsened by lack of proper city transport plans

together with other factors such as governance,

administration, insufficient financial resources and

insufficient awareness of the benefits arising fromlow cost mobility options.

3. The Technology

The bicycle when brought from the shop, it is then

dismantled into parts such as front wheel, rear

wheel, breaks both front and rear, carrier, stays, seat

and tyres plus tubes then there some parts added to

it to make it strong. E.g. seven up, foot rest,

handrest, side bell, fore and rear rim protector, mud-

flash, seat springs, tyre breaks and carrier seat. Fork-

assistant, cushion.

Parts Changed

Front and rear rims: The ones bought with the

bicycle are always very weak and cannot carry heavy

cargo and customers. Therefore they are replaced

with ones made in China (phoenix heavy duty)

Tubes: These ones with the bike get burst when

inflated hard. Therefore replaced with some known

as Ralson or Diamond

Tyres: These ones are replaced with diamondSuperior or Diamond Hartex.

Brakes: ones with bike are pure rubber but for

more friction we cut motor-car tyres with threads

inside which makes it strong and with a lot of

friction.

Carrier: These ones are weak and easily bends

when carrying heavy load so is replaced with the

ones made locally.

Stays: These are weak therefore replaced with the

ones made locally.

Operator with bicycle, waiting for customer (Naboth

Okoth, 2005)


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Seat: We add cussions to make it last longer and

also comfortable.

Seven up: This is a new technology which pushes

the drivers seat forward in order to balance the

weight of the load and it made locally.

Foot-rest: since these bicycles are moving long

distances, the customers legs grow tired when

hanging therefore we do have foot-rest at the carrier-

support.

Hand-rest: Since the bicycle has nothing for the

customer to hold, we have introduced a pipe welded

at operators seat for the customer to hold.

Side bell: The bells made with bicycle are not loud

enough to move heard of cattle or sheep from the

road therefore we have the cover of the bell welded

on a rod and placed at the front fork such that when

pushed it gives very loud sound when it reaches a

rolling rim.

Fore and rear rim protection: Since there are so

many bicycles and they can easily meet head on

against the other, we have welded metals to protect

the rim such that when knocked the rim does not

bend, even incase of an accident.

Mud flash: Theses are to protect mud from

reaching the customer.

Seat spring: Since it is acting like shock absorber it

is usually made stiff so that it does not break even in

potholes.

Fork assistant: This is just to assist the fork when

broken or so that it doesnt break easily.

Cushion: This is for comfort to the customer.

Hans Schindler of Afriwheels.org adds:

The type of bicycles in use are generally strong,

heavy roadster standard bicycles imported from

mainly India and China (Roadmaster, Hero, Phoenix

....). These arrive in CKD kits (completely knocked

down) and are locally assembled. This type of bicycle

is appropriate to transport heavy loads on bad roads.

European/American 2nd hand bicycles are not

appropriate.

To transport persons there are two essential things

added:

a locally made carrier (the original ones from

Asia are not strong enough for loads heavier

than 50 kg)

a locally made cushion fixed on the carrierSome other add-ons are often used to make the

transport of passengers more comfortable, such as a

foot- and hand-rest.

Not typical of the bodaboda but of all cyclists in

Africa: when the first break-shoes are down they are

replaced by locally ones cut from lorry tyres. When

the first tyres and tubes are worn out you can try to

replace them by solid ones (the brands can change).

Many bodaboda owners are proud of their bicycle

and like to decorate it a bit (mudflash ..) and like touse loud bells.

Like most African cyclists, bodaboda owners often

share the opinion, that the fork could be made more

stable by adding a fork assistant.

Operator with a cargo of 150 kg of dry maize. The

dimensions = 2mts length 1 mts high mts width


Afriwheels.org (http://www.afriwheels.org/) is a

website dedicated to a discussion of the uses and

needs for bicycles in Africa. The range of topics it

covers includes bicycle taxis and wheelchair bikes.


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4. The Organisation

4.1 The beginning

The Ngware bicycle Transport Youth Group is a

brainchild of four young men who completed their

education and then found themselves jobless. Their

major goal was to be able to earn a living by

providing both cargo and passenger services, using

bicycles. They had reached this decision after

realizing that the residents of the area they lived in

were faced with serious transport problems,

especially during rainy seasons. This area is served

by a few murrum roads. These become muddy

during wet seasons, thus making it almost

impossible for motor vehicle transport to use them.

In 1991 they set up a group in Chiga Market, which isin the eastern side of Kisumu, in Nyanza Province.

The Group began with well defined objectives and

strategies, Over the years, as its membership has

grown from 4 persons to over 10,000, it has also had

to develop a clear organizational structure.

4.2 Group Objectives

1. to create job opportunities for young people.

3. to offer efficient and effective transport services at

an affordable fee and that help alleviate poverty for

both parties.

4. to facilitate linkage and Networking of the bicycle

enterprise with other development organization such

as NGOs, CBOs, companies and many other actors

who have development in mind.

5. to mobilize resources for the improvement of the

welfare and living standards of its members.

6. to advocate and collaborate within and outside

the enterprise

7. to foster education and medical support for themembers and their families.

4.3 Group Strategies

Knowledge and skill acquisition through training

awareness creation and lobbying

Collaboration Networking.

Resource Mobilization (human and material)

Advocacy

Decentralization of Management

4.4 Growth of the Group

The group continued to grow, so that in 1994 its

members sought registration from the government

through the Department of Social Services.. In 2000,

it became apparent that an umbrella body would

have to be formed, since several sub-groups had

broken away from the mother group to provide a

more effective service to members. The updated and

general registration which took place in 2001

showed a total membership of 7,000, and the

registration update of 2005 showed a total

membership of 10,000 members. The group has

opened its own bank account (Co-operative Bank

Kisumu Branch). Its postal address is P.O. Box 6400

Kondele-Kisumu, Kenya.

The affiliate groups are represented in the umbrella

body by three top officials namely: Chairperson,

Secretary and Treasurer. In this line the whole group

is updated on day to day activities and also bring

from the group to the central body any emerging

problem.

Operator with a cargo of 150 kg of dry maize. The

dimensions = 2mts length 1 mts high mts width



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These groups are growing steadily, following the lack

of opportunity in the country. We have also

developed different types of schemes namely

Health (Community Based Health Fund) cost20/=

Pension (Pension Saving Scheme) cost varies

Development Fund (D.F) cost 10/=

Benevolent Fund (B.F.) cost 20/=

4.5 Hours of Operation

Day shift 5:00 a.m. 6:30 p.m.

Midnight shift 6:30 p.m. 12:00

Both shifts operate 7 days a week, 365 days a year

4.6 The Vehicles

If the boda-boda bicycles were made in Germany it

could easily qualify to be termed the two-wheeled

Volkswagen. In western Kenya it is indeed the local

mans car as this mode of transport proving

extremely popular not only in Kisumu and its

environs but also other parts of Kenya and Uganda.

The bicycles are made in India, and China mostly

and the cost of each piece ranges from 3,500/= to5,500/= depending on the make and model.

Youth club group photograph of chair persons (Naboth Okoth, 2005)


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5. The Service

The main features (and advantages) of the service

provided are that:

it serves many different types of customer

it is very flexible (basically demand-responsive,

individual routing to suit customer's needs, 24

hour a day operation etc.)

it is geared towards the creation of employment

and wealth for both operators and customers

Some aspects of the service are detailed as below:

shift work- The group operate a two-shift system:a night shift and a day shift. There are many more

day shift workers than night shift workers.

special clothing - Workers on the day shift wear

shirts which have their membership number on the

back. The number is also shown on a plate at the

rear of the bicycle. Operators on the night shift are

also required to wear a white reflective scarf, a

clearly visible number, and to have a head light on

their bicycle.

pick-up points - During the day, the main pick-up

points / bases of operation are : main road junctions,

bus-stops, market places and outside government

buildings and other institutions. The night shift

mainly work from different pick-up points. Many

wait at bus stops, bars, night clubs and hotels, whilst

others remain in the parking bays. Local government

authorities are apparently also supposed to provide

facilities for this mode of transport, such as parking

bays.

security- The main pick-up points / bases of

operation are : main road junctions, bus-stops,

market places and outside government buildings and

other institutions.

prices - Prices for trips at night are double the day

price, and each boda-boda is escorted by another

bicycle and rider for security purposes. Typicalamounts charged range from 10/= to 50/=

depending on the distance.

journey lengths - A typical journey length is 10

kilometres. The journey length vary from km to

20km whereby km is 10/= charge while 20km is

40/= charge.

medical transport service - The Ngware BTYG

negotiate with health providers who can do the

service and be paid later. This is known as

Community Based Health Fund. (C.B.H.F.)

Youth club cycle operators (Naboth Okoth, 2005)


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The whole scheme of course also provides a means of

providing for the families of the stakeholders. Most

of the stakeholders are married, so that there are

sixteen thousand children and eight thousand

partners for the direct stakeholders

two thousand, seven hundred children and

partners for the indirect stakeholders.

a grand total of 34,400 direct beneficiaries of the

group.


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9. Challenges

The industry has been faced with many challenges, some of which are listed below:

Challenge Possible solution

Motor Taxi Operators These are the Group's rivals in the

business, and they have been causing

the Group's operators severe

problems such as unnecessary

hooting to scare our customers,

stopping unexpectedly, causing a risk

of accidents, pushing us out of the

road and many more.

Through intermediate technology in connection

with UN-Habitat, the Group have held a number of

consultative meetings and have come out with the

idea of bicycle lanes. The programme is under

Sustainable Urban Mobility (SUM) and is funded

by the UN-Habitat.

However the bicycle lane would have to be designed

for the dimensions of the boda-boda as they are

actually used. Further, this problem is not unique to

Kenya. In London. Some people have set up a cyclerickshaw service for passengers, and the local taxi

associations are complaining about the competition

Over-supply This industry is the only source of

employment in the country that is

easily obtained, so that many

unemployed and school leavers try to

start up in it, providing an over-

supply.

This still remains the greatest challenge to

overcome since there are still no jobs in the country

but the Group hope that it will be overcome in case

the economy should ever be revived.

Child Labour Some children whose parents died

from HIV/ AIDS and left them

without a guardian do join the

industry to support their youngersisters and brother and as result the

Group say this is the greatest

challenge they are facing.

The government is now working out ways to

overcome this problem.

Security, accidents To minimize the risk of accidents it is

good to make clear that bicycles

belong on the roads, have equal rights

and should not be removed to special

paths and tracks in some parts of the

town.

Probably no African town is able to finance and

maintain proper bicycle lanes in the long run

because they have other priorities.

This attitude problem also exists in some European

countries.

Leadership Since leaders are not paid for their

services they offer, they often do not

respond properly in providing services

especially in urgent cases.

The Group has started several projects which will

assist in paying the leaders an allowance if they

have gone to give advice and time to members.

Police The industry is one of a kind and for

that matter there is no clear law

covering it, so that the local police

tend to harass them even when there

is no law has been breached.

The organization has presented a request to the

area MP and the councillors, asking them to push

this issue in Parliament.

HIV/AIDS: Since the operators are young men

who are sexually active, they are so

very vulnerable to contracting this

disease.

We have submitted a proposal to organizations

dealing with this problem, and may be provided

with some support funding soon. In the meantime

the group works to create awareness of the

problem, to provide care for the sick and supportfor those who are HIV positive.


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About the editor

Robert Bartlett, Germany- is an experienced

transportation and urban development studies engineer

with over 25 years of professional experience. Current

engineering work: includes technical research in highway

design standards and applications in areas such as urbanplanning and highway engineering. Interests include

applied GIS.

Related resources - website

Global Transport Atlas,

website with country pages

containing weblinks related

to roads and transport.

http://globaltransportatlas.wee

bly.com/index.html

Related resources - blog

Comparative Geometrics, a

tech blog with postings

related to highway design

and traffic engineering indifferent countries.

http://comparativegeometrics.

wordpress.com/

Cover notes and Disclaimer

This is a research document. The best efforts have been

made to make sure the figures are correct. However no

liability can be taken for any of the details, information or

analysis in this document.The layout, look and feel of this document is copyright.

The photos are generally copyright of Naboth Okoth.

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons

Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a

copy of this license, visit

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/

History and Change log

The original version of this document was published in

September 2006. This version has a different layout butthe text remains unchanged and has not been updated.

Contact

We welcome comments on this paper, and also on new

developments in other countries in this field.

Email: [email protected]

GTA documents series

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of how they actually use transport in their daily lives. The

other is to compare and improve the design of transportinfrastructure. There are the following GTA document

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A collection of papers on transport infrastructure and

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authors and contributors. Typical size 2 to 3 pages.

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Papers with arguments and ideas on different aspects of

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gta-138: Kisumu, Kenya, cycle-based transport services