Levels of Rider Training and Its Influence on Road Safety among Motorcycle (Boda Boda) Riders in Kisumu East Sub-County in Kisumu County, Kenya

Sep 18, 2026

Road safety is one of the biggest challenges facing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and rider training is identified in the literature as an important element of motorcycle safety. This study assessed formal rider training levels among boda boda riders in Kisumu and examined how training relates to motorcycle safety. Rider characteristics, training type, and possession of valid licenses were investigated, alongside the relationship between training and accident involvement rates.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Rider training levels and road safety relevance

[Website:](Website: www.jriie.com)[ ](Website: www.jriie.com)[www.jriie.com](Website: www.jriie.com) ISSN 2520-7504 (Online) Vol.4, Iss.4, 2020 (pp. 119-129) Levels of Rider Training and Its Influence on Road Safety among Motorcycle (Boda Boda) Riders in Kisumu East Sub-County in Kisumu County, Kenya Gladys M. M. Nyachieo Multi Media University of Kenya Corresponding author: [gmasomo@gmail.com](gmasomo@gmail.com) Received December 24, 2020; Revised December 28, 2020; Accepted December 31, 2020 Abstract: Road safety is one of the biggest challenges facing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although there could be other factors leading to road crashes, literature indicates that rider training is an important aspect in motorcycle safety. This study sought to establish the levels of formal rider training among boda boda riders in Kisumu, and how it influences motorcycle safety. The study examined rider characteristics, the nature of rider training and possession of valid licenses. The study also sought to test whether there was no significant relationship between rider training and accident involvement rates among riders of boda boda motorcycles. It adopted a descriptive research design and employed cluster sampling and systematic random sampling to recruit the study participants. A sample of 370 riders were selected from a population of 10,000 riders inKisumu. Quantitative data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics while qualitative data was analysed using content analysis. The study found that formal rider training levels were low and recommended that the government, through NTSA, ensure training for riders through subsidizing the training fee. In addition, NTSA needed to come up with a standardized training manual that is implemented and audited periodically. This contributes to empirical knowledge on motorcycle safety and may contribute to targeted interventions in road safety. Keywords: Motorcycle, Boda boda, Riders, Formal training, Safety knowledge, Kisumu, Kenya How to cite this article (APA): Nyachieo, G. M. M. (2020) . Levels of rider training and its influence on road safety among motorcycle (Boda Boda) riders in Kisumu East Sub-County in Kisumu County, Kenya. Journal of Research Innovation and Implications in Education 4(4), 119 – 129. 1. Introduction Motorcycles have become an important way of ensuring that the vast majority of people living in countries where motorcycling is common are actively engaged in social and economic activities. Historically, motorcycles had already to some degree been providing one of the public mobility alternatives: in Nigeria, the first appearance of moto-taxis dates back to the 1970s, while in countries such as Niger, Cameroon, Benin and Rwanda the use of motorcycles for taxi services started in the 1980s; Chad, Kenya, Togo and Uganda followed in the 1990s (Ehebrecht, Heinrichs & Lenz, 2018) . In most towns and cities, Boda bodas are helpful in reducing bad road delays or rush hours. They are available during the day and night and can be driven even on small village paths that are not accessible by other fast means of transport (Kitara, 2011 in Baker, 1975 & Naddumba, 2004) . Nevertheless, in addition to the inherent dangerous features of the motorcycle-traffic environment, the vast number of motorcycles pose major threats to motorists (Jadaan et al., 2018; Vlahogianni et al. , 2012; WHO, 2017) . World Health Organization statistics indicate that in South-East Asia, motorcyclists account for 43 percent of all deaths (WHO, 2018) . In particular, the National Traffic Safety Committee of Vietnam recorded more than 8,500 deaths annually from on-road accidents, while motorcyclists and their passengers accounted for around 90% of the casualties (WHO, 2018) . The African area has the highest fatality rate in road traffic (24.1 per 100,000 population) and motorcyclists have been found to be among the most vulnerable road users, with nearly a q

FAQs

What was the purpose of the study on boda boda riders in Kisumu?

To determine the levels of formal rider training among boda boda riders in Kisumu and to assess how that training influences motorcycle safety.

Which rider factors were examined by the study?

The study examined rider characteristics, the nature of rider training, and whether riders possessed valid licenses.

What did the study find about formal rider training levels and policy recommendations?

Formal rider training levels were low; the study recommended government action through NTSA to subsidize training fees and develop a standardized training manual implemented and audited periodically.

Sep 18, 2026

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