KENYA NATIONAL HELMET WEARING COALITION: Promoting a collaborative approach to addressing motorcycle safety

19th February 2025

Project background

In 2021, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) launched the Safe and Affordable Helmet Initiative to address the increasing number of motorcycle-related fatalities, particularly in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Linked to this initiative, in the same year, the FIA Foundation commissioned Transaid to establish a National Helmet Wearing Coalition in Kenya to promote a more collaborative approach to addressing motorcycle safety. The number of registered motorcycle taxis, known locally as boda boda, in Kenya, has risen sharply in recent years to 2.3 million nationwide and constitutes a growing proportion of road traffic fatalities on Kenya’s roads.

Results

The Coalition was set up in 2021 and consists of representatives from 17 different organisations and agencies from multiple sectors including government, civil society, academia, the private sector, and motorcycle taxi associations. Members of the National Helmet Wearing Coalition have identified as a priority, the need to strengthen enforcement of the current legislation and build awareness amongst motorcycle taxi users as to the need to prioritise helmet safety.
To achieve this, with Transaid’s support, the Coalition is implementing a series of scalable projects including an information campaign to debunk many of the myths that influence low helmet prevalence, as well as a package of training to build the capacity of the enforcement authorities, being piloted in Nakuru County.

In addition, the Coalition is currently conducting research to investigate the health costs linked to motorcycle crashes, which will be launched in 2024 and used to advocate for efforts to strengthen the Kenyan Government’s enforcement. Finally, in 2024, the Coalition aims to establish the first helmet testing laboratory in the country in an attempt to stem the flow of substandard helmets into Kenya from other countries.