Nairobi — If you have traveled to various parts of the country either in urban or rural areas, you have most likely spotted a black mamba bicycle, which is the typical mode of transport for most households.
But with the rapid change in the transport industry, the use of bicycles has been overtaken by events with motorized transport.
Nevertheless, the cycling culture has permeated regions in the country and in some areas, becoming a ‘bikes for hire’ business venture.
In the outskirts of Juja Town, we meet with David Michael, a youth who turned his hobby of cycling to a business hub.
Michael for years used to cycle from Juja to Thika which is 13 kilometers apart almost daily and over time it became his mode of transport.
In 2016, after a brainstorm with his cycling friends on how to survive the harsh economic times and get a source of livelihood, they decided to use what was on their hands to make a living.
“We started first by cycling just for fun then we saw it as a potential. We can do something like hire bikes and earn something. That’s when we started with few,” Michael stated.
“We started with three bicycles then the business started booming,” he said.
Michael and his friends started a business called ‘Saikle Kenya’. In Juja town it was the first of its kind as it was the sole business, hiring bicycles hourly to the residents.
In the first year, it was an extreme boom with most of the customers being Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUART) Students who walk for miles going to class and commuting within the area.
But within a year, Michael started facing competition.
“In every business, when you start a unique business of course you will get copycats who became our competitors. But the business is still fine and sustainable as it has enabled me to open more business,” he told Capital FM News.
In Kenya, bicycles are seen as an inferior mode of transport chosen by the poor.
Most people prefer driving vehicles to commute from one place to the other be it with personal vehicles, matatus or tuktuks.
But over time bicycles have become a viable mode of transport for students from JKUAT to commute to classes.
With time the business has inculcated the art of cycling in Juja town.
“Someone might come and hire a bicycle then he or she might feel it is too costly to keep hiring the bicycle. Maybe in a month it might cost him Sh3,000 and therefore he or she decides to buy a bike. That’s how the culture has been inculcated,” Michael stated.
As with any other business, challenges are rife and Michael tells us hiring bicycles is a risk as sometimes they are stolen.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
“The biggest challenge is theft; someone can come hire the bike and still won’t return the bike even if we have all his details. Especially during the time when all students are closing the school. What we do is to be stricter,” the Saikle Kenya Chief Executive Officer states.
When learning institutions close or students are having exams there is always a dip in revenues. It’s more seasonal depending on the school calendar.
“This business is just like an entertainment site, when students are having exams we don’t have many customers until when they are back. When they go home, we just go home,” Michael pointed out.
Saikle Kenya involves hiring imported bikes which have been used and disposed of from the USA and United Kingdom; he repairs some of them and gets them back to business.
“If these Ex-UK bicycles could be cheaper than how we purchase them,then the business will be better,”Michael says.
He advocates for cycling as an alternative mode of transport saying that if you want to survive the pressure that comes with urban living and hard economic times, cycle a little more.
“Look like a country like the UK even the MPs are riding to Parliament. In Kenya we only focus on vehicles, if you have a vehicle you are one of the richest people but bike is the best to keep fit,” he states.
“When I feel stressed I just get my personal bike and ride all the way to Thika. Bicycles help us with mental health. It is rare to find a cyclist with mental health issues. Its really hard!” Michael exclaims.
