Bolt has completed a decade of operation in Kenya, a run that started in 2016 and now spans six regions, 19 towns and more than 8 million riders.
The company puts its investment in the country at over KSh19 billion, roughly €130 million, and says it has created income opportunities for more than 170,000 drivers and couriers.
Data on the sector Bolt helped build. The 2026 Bolt Kenya & Ipsos Gig Economy Report, released in March, estimates that Kenya’s gig economy now supports approximately 1.5 million workers and generates more than KSh130 billion a year. Khusoko covered the report’s launch in March, noting that the findings point to a shift in how Kenyans earn, save and plan for the future.
A decade that tracks the rise of app based transport
Bolt entered Kenya in 2016 as one of several newcomers challenging matatus and informal taxis for a share of urban transport. Ten years on, the company operates across Nairobi, the Coast, Western Kenya, Central and North Rift, and Mt Kenya. That expansion has pulled a cluster of secondary markets into the digital economy: vehicle financing, insurance, phone sales, data bundles, and vehicle servicing have all grown around the platform, according to Bolt.
Dimmy Kanyankole, Senior General Manager for Rides in East Africa, framed the milestone as a starting point rather than an endpoint.
“Kenya is not a market we entered lightly, and after ten years, it is certainly not one we take for granted,” he said. “Over the past decade, we have seen ride hailing evolve from a new technology into an important source of income and economic opportunity for thousands of Kenyans.”
The driver income
Ipsos surveyed 250 respondents across Kenya’s major towns for the study, which also covered Nigeria and South Africa. It found that ride hailing now accounts for approximately 20 percent of gig economy activity in Kenya, placing it second behind e-commerce.
On the question of living standards, 98 percent of ride hailing participants surveyed said their situation had improved since joining a platform. 54 percent called the improvement significant.
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Bolt driver average monthly earnings | KSh63,000 |
| Top 20 percent of Bolt drivers, monthly | up to KSh184,000 |
| Boda boda rider average monthly earnings | KSh56,000 |
| Drivers naming Bolt as primary income source | 53 percent |
| Ride hailing share of gig economy activity | approximately 20 percent |
| Participants reporting improved living standards | 98 percent |
Figures are drawn from the 2026 Bolt Kenya & Ipsos Gig Economy Report and from Bolt’s own reporting on its Kenya operations. The investment total, rider count and driver and courier figures are company reported and have not been independently verified by Khusoko.
Electric vehicles move from pilot to platform
Bolt links its anniversary to a second shift underway in Kenyan transport: the move toward electric vehicles. As of 2026, seven in every ten electric vehicles operating in Kenya run on its platform, a result it attributes to driver incentive programmes and partnerships that lower the cost of EV ownership.
That claim, like the report’s income figures, comes from Bolt and has not been verified against independent registration data. Readers weighing the number against Kenya’s wider EV rollout should treat it as a company estimate.
Where Bolt says it goes next
Bolt says its next decade in Kenya will focus on driver welfare, safety, product development and sustainability, alongside continued investment in electric and lower emission vehicles. The company also flagged plans to grow its presence in secondary cities beyond its current 19 towns.
