Kenya’s gig economy has moved beyond the edges of the labour market. It is now a key source of income, opportunity and resilience for thousands of people, particularly young Kenyans looking for flexible and dependable ways to support themselves.
Ride-hailing platform Bolt sits at the heart of this transformation, arguing that its work in Kenya extends beyond ferrying passengers and goods. The company describes its broader mission as supporting livelihoods, building skills and helping create a more inclusive digital economy.
Kenneth Anye, Bolt’s Director for Public Policy for Africa and Latin America, said the company views itself as a partner in developing a stronger and more sustainable gig economy in Kenya and across Africa.
He said much of his work involves collaborating with policymakers to create a policy environment that supports the sector.
However, Anye stressed that Bolt’s efforts are not limited to discussions with government officials.
He said the company aims to bring stakeholders together, engage them and help build a more meaningful sector capable of addressing the challenges it is focused on.
For Bolt, Kenya has become one of the continent’s most important and active gig economy markets. Anye said the company has more than 50,000 drivers and courier partners working through its platform in the country, earning income and supporting their households.
But he said the company’s contribution should not be judged only by the number of people who directly use the app for work.
Anye said many people associate Bolt with transport, while the company sees its impact through livelihoods that reach into the wider economy.
He said income earned by drivers and couriers often supports households, rent, school fees, small businesses and investments, creating what he described as a broader economic ripple effect.
According to Anye, the platform creates financial opportunities whose influence extends beyond the drivers themselves.
For Bolt, transport is not merely a service. It is part of what Anye described as a wider supply chain of livelihoods.
He said transportation is a key area in which the company is active, noting that the UN has recognised transport as a major enabler of development and that Bolt is contributing by introducing and integrating technology to strengthen the sector.
Kenya’s expanding digital culture has made the country fertile ground for platform-based work. Anye said one of the main reasons Kenya stands out is its strong adoption of digital tools.
He pointed to M-Pesa, the mobile money platform, as one of Kenya’s most visible technological achievements.
Anye added that, beyond mobile money, Kenya has one of the highest mobile penetration rates on the continent.
A supportive setting
That digital readiness, together with a young and technology-oriented population, has created favourable conditions for gig work to grow.
Anye said Kenya has a young, tech-savvy population actively seeking to use technology as a way to build sustainable livelihoods.
Recent figures appear to support that expansion. Anye cited research commissioned by Bolt and carried out by Ipsos, which estimates Kenya’s gig economy at about $1 billion, or Sh129 billion. Within that ecosystem, ride-hailing has become one of the largest contributors.
What stands out most is how gig work is becoming a lasting part of employment for many Kenyans.
Anye said 53 per cent of driver partners who responded to the gig economy survey said ride-hailing is their main source of income.
For many workers, it is no longer a short-term bridge between jobs. It has become a career and a legitimate earning path that people are choosing deliberately.
That finding challenges one of the most common misunderstandings about gig economy workers.
Anye said the first misconception is that gig work is temporary.
He said the data shows otherwise, with 53 per cent of drivers viewing it as a long-term and permanent source of income.
He also rejected the idea that platform workers lack skills.
Anye said the second misconception is the assumption that drivers are unskilled, adding that this description is inaccurate.
Instead, he said drivers and courier partners are continually developing new skills that can be used beyond the platform.
He said strong customer service abilities naturally come from the work, while the platform provides tools and resources that support that development.
Bolt also says it helps workers improve their financial literacy and digital skills.
Anye said workers gain financial literacy, an essential skill, as they learn to manage their money and use the technology tools available in the financial sector.
For many young workers, the platform also offers something traditional employment often cannot provide: flexibility. Anye recalled speaking with a young graduate during a recent ride.
He said the driver had completed university education and valued the work because it allowed him to set his own schedule rather than depend on a fixed employer’s salary.
Anye said that freedom can strengthen a person’s sense of financial independence.
Bolt also says it is helping workers develop entrepreneurial thinking.
Anye said drivers are acquiring entrepreneurship skills as they learn how to build and run a business and use the tools needed to do so.
He said Bolt is doing more than creating an earning opportunity, adding that it is actively nurturing and supporting entrepreneurs.
As the company looks ahead, one of its priorities is electric mobility.
Bolt has introduced electric two-wheelers and electric vehicle options in Kenya as part of efforts to reduce operating costs and lessen dependence on fuel.
Anye said the shift is not only about environmental sustainability. He said it also prepares workers for the next stage of transport.
He said drivers and courier partners on the platform are gaining skills to operate and maintain electric vehicles, a capability that is becoming increasingly important as the industry moves in that direction.
Anye said the transition could also help address one of the biggest pressures facing drivers: rising fuel costs.
Bolt recently increased prices by six per cent to respond to cost pressures, but Anye described the move as temporary. For the company, electric vehicles could offer a longer-term solution.
He said current measures are transitional and that deeper structural change is needed. Because EVs do not rely on petrol, he said they can help protect drivers from fuel price volatility.
Still, the company says balancing driver earnings with customer affordability remains one of the most delicate parts of its business model.
Anye said that when fuel prices rise, demand tends to fall, and when demand falls, driver earnings are affected. He said the aim is to create a sustainable balance that works for everyone, allowing drivers to thrive while passengers have a reliable and affordable solution to daily urban transport challenges.
Including women
Beyond economics, Bolt says inclusion is one of its major priorities, especially increasing women’s participation in the sector. At present, female involvement remains low.
Anye said the recent Ipsos survey shows that women make up only about 3 per cent of the company’s driver base, a figure the company views with concern and is committed to improving.
Anye acknowledged the obstacles many women face.
He said the gap is driven by several barriers, including safety concerns, social norms that discourage women’s presence in the transport sector and limited access to financing for vehicle ownership.
To address these challenges, Bolt said it is investing in safety technology and targeted solutions, including a women-for-women category designed to connect female passengers with female drivers.
Anye stressed that safer systems require more than technology alone.
He said a supportive policy environment is essential, which is why the company engages policymakers to help shape a framework that enables progress.
Anye said safety must be a shared responsibility involving platforms, users and government, adding that it remains a fundamental policy priority and that more work is still needed.
Shaping policy
Bolt’s engagement with regulators is also central to how it imagines the future of gig work.
Kenya already has ride-hailing regulations, introduced in 2022, which Bolt says marked an important first step.
Anye said Kenya’s 2022 ride-hailing regulation was a positive and important beginning. He said Bolt fully complies with the regulation, but the company believes policy must continue to evolve.
For Bolt, compliance is not the end point; it is the baseline. Anye said the goal is to go beyond what is simply required.
Bolt wants to help shape policies on safety, earnings and driver partner welfare while protecting what many drivers value most: independence.
Anye said most drivers have indicated that flexibility and independence are their top priorities, as they want to be their own bosses and operate on their own terms.
Bolt believes the data and experience it has gathered can help the government design stronger support systems, and the company presents itself as a willing partner in building a sustainable environment for the sector.
Anye said that after nearly a decade of operating in Kenya, one lesson stands out: the issue is not simply transport, but livelihood.
He said the real measure of success will be how many more people can access opportunity through the platform in the coming years.
Anye said that with a gig economy valued at $1 billion, or Sh129 billion, the ambition is for the sector to grow, which requires close work with policymakers to create a well-protected and enabling policy environment. He said it is equally important to ensure women take part more fully in that journey, adding that a key five-year goal is to see significantly more women operating on the platform.
As Kenya’s digital economy expands, Bolt is positioning itself as more than a transport company, presenting itself as a platform helping shape the future of work.
For thousands of driver and courier partners, that change is already deeply personal. It represents income, flexibility and valuable skills, and increasingly, it is becoming a clear path toward long-term economic independence.