Boda boda industry revs up Kenya's economy but riders face health crisis

The Boda Boda Safety Association of Kenya (BAK) estimates that there are 1.6 million riders in Kenya, 1.3 million of whom are young. With these numbers, the sector prides itself being the largest single employer in the country.

It is estimated that the number of riders increases by 25 per cent annually. Everyone recognises that the industry plays a significant role in addressing unemployment as young people enter the job market.

The sector generates Sh1 billion annually, equivalent to 3.4 per cent of GDP. Similarly, the industry contributes Sh60 million per year in fuel taxes. There is no denying that boda boda transport has opened up previously inaccessible areas for business, benefiting small traders and farmers.

However, despite these benefits, the sector is contributing to a growing health crisis: non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The most prevalent NCDs include heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases.

AMREF reports that about 80 per cent of NCDs are preventable by eliminating tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol consumption. Over the past decade, Kenya has seen a troubling rise in NCDs.

As early as 2004, the increase in NCD cases was already noticeable. For example, between 2004 and 2012, NCD cases rose from 20.3 per cent to 24.9 per cent, with related mortality increasing from 21.9 per cent to 26.6 per cent. Similarly, between 2006 and 2013, cases of hypertension and diabetes increased from one and two per thousand to four and eleven per thousand, respectively.

The latest findings from the Kenya Demographic Health Survey paint a grim picture. Estimates indicate that 39 per cent of all deaths result from NCDs, with cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases accounting for 57 per cent of these deaths.

It is reported that nine per cent of women aged 15 to 49 have been diagnosed with hypertension, of whom 32 per cent are receiving treatment. Among men in the same age group, three per cent have been diagnosed with hypertension, with an equal proportion undergoing treatment.

Even more concerning, particularly for Kenya’s children and youth, is the data on physical activity. Women and men aged 15 to 19 spend an average of 119.1 and 240 minutes per week, respectively, engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

A study links the increasing prevalence of NCDs in Kenya to the growing consumption of cooking fats and oils containing trans fats, as well as reduced physical activity. Could the widespread use of boda boda transport be exacerbating the NCD crisis by reducing physical activity?

Before the mass adoption of boda boda commuter services, people in rural areas walked to and from farms, markets, and water points, carrying goods on their heads, hands, or shoulders. In urban areas, people regularly walked short distances. Today, both rural and urban dwellers have significantly reduced their walking, inadvertently cutting back on a crucial form of physical activity.

Odhiambo is a professor of Statistics at Great Lakes University, Kisumu.