By GASTONE VALUSI
Gone are the days when women were confined to “safe” careers or limited to certain types of jobs. Today, women are breaking barriers and taking up all kinds of work to earn a living.
This brings to mind the popular saying, “What a man can do, a woman can do better.” Fridha Kitonga is living proof of that. She is a boda boda rider — and her story is one of resilience, courage and determination.
Full of energy and passion, Fridha, now in her late thirties, abandoned her career in fashion design and chose the boda boda business to make ends meet.
While some may frown upon her decision, Fridha has no regrets.
“I wanted to prove this isn’t a man’s world. It’s our world,” she says, her eyes sharp with conviction. “What a man can do, a woman can do — and often, better.”
With a helmet on her head and grit in her spirit, she has turned the boda boda throttle into her livelihood.
Fridha parked her fashion design dreams and embraced the open road. To some, it seemed like a step down — but to her, it meant freedom.
She dismisses the notion that riding is too tough for women.
“People think it’s stressful for a lady. But honestly? I’m having fun,” she says with a laugh.
She now knows routes such as Kisukioni, Katangini, Matuu, Kinyui Road, Tala and Kangundo like the back of her hand — earning a living while enjoying the ride.
Her journey, however, has not been easy.
Thirteen years ago, tragedy struck when her husband, the family’s sole breadwinner, passed away.
“Nobody was willing to assist us,” she recalls.
One day, she saw another woman ferrying passengers on a boda boda — and something clicked.
“If she can do it, why can’t I?”
She found a trainer who taught her how to ride for free. As word spread, well-wishers began lending her motorcycles to work with until she eventually managed to buy her own after completing her training.
The mother of two says humility has been key to her success in the male-dominated field.
“I mingle and interact well with my male counterparts. Because of my humble and friendly nature, they have grown fond of me and treat me like a sister and a friend. Sometimes, they even take turns buying me meals when I’m down,” she says.
Despite the support, the job comes with its own challenges.
Some customers pay via M-Pesa and later reverse the transactions. Others promise to pay later — and disappear.
One experience she will never forget involved a man who hired her to deliver a goat to his former in-laws as a symbol of divorce — without informing them.
“The reception was hostile. I had to escape and leave him behind,” she recalls.
Still, she takes it all in stride.
“These challenges are normal,” she says during an interview at Tala town in Matungulu Sub-County.
Her male colleagues have largely accepted her, and while competition for customers exists, she often holds her own — and sometimes even outperforms them.
Her message to women is simple: be bold.
“Don’t shy away from male-dominated jobs. There’s nothing stopping us from excelling. If you’re too choosy, you may end up jobless — and life in Kenya today is not easy without an income,” she says.
Fridha also challenges the belief that the job is overly stressful.
“Many people think riding a motorbike is stressful for a woman, but I genuinely enjoy this job,” she adds.
Explaining her career switch, she says:
“After my husband passed away, I became the sole breadwinner. Making a living became harder, and I had to find a way to support my family.”
She describes the business as moderately lucrative, though not without financial strain.
“I make an average of Sh700 a day. From that, I pay school fees for my son, buy fuel and provide food for my family. I don’t manage to save because the cost of living keeps rising,” she explains.
From fashion sketches to boda boda ranks, Fridha Kitonga is writing her own story — one passenger, one kilometre, and one barrier at a time.
