Bolt has partnered with the Kenya Red Cross to equip more than 500 boda boda riders with first aid and emergency response skills in a programme aimed at strengthening road safety and community preparedness across Kenya.
The initiative began with a pilot group of 75 Bolt riders who completed a four-hour practical training session at the Kenya Red Cross Training Institute (KRCTI) in Nairobi. The riders were certified as Community First Aid Ambassadors and received certificates and branded badges after completing the training.
The training covered basic first aid, emergency response, activation of professional emergency services and road safety. The programme is designed to help riders respond appropriately when they encounter accidents or other emergencies while on the road.
However, the training does not qualify the riders as medical professionals. Instead, participants are taught how to assess an emergency, provide basic assistance within the limits of their training and know when to call for professional help.
Bolt Senior Operations Manager for Rides, Arthur Gacharia, said the programme extends the company’s focus on safety beyond the ride itself.
“Safety is not only about what happens during a ride; it is also about how we equip the people within our ecosystem to contribute to safer communities,” Gacharia said.
The partnership comes against the backdrop of continued road safety concerns involving motorcycle users in Kenya. According to figures cited by the Kenya Red Cross Training Institute, the country recorded 1,273 road crash fatalities, 2,768 serious injuries and 720 minor injuries among riders in 2025.
Monica Orero, Director of Training and Capacity Building at KRCTI, said boda boda riders can be particularly important during the first moments after an accident because they are constantly moving through communities and may reach an incident before professional emergency teams.
“You are our first responders on the scene. Anytime you go to a scene, the first person is a boda boda rider,” Orero said.
The programme therefore seeks to use the riders’ presence on Kenya’s roads to strengthen immediate community response while maintaining clear boundaries around what trained riders should and should not do.
The first cohort will also provide feedback that Bolt and the Kenya Red Cross will use to assess the programme and improve subsequent training sessions before the initiative is expanded to more riders. The target is to train more than 500 riders during the first year.
For some riders, the training has also highlighted the importance of knowing how to respond before professional help arrives. Patrick Sakwa, one of the participants, said the course gave riders a clearer understanding of how to act safely at emergency scenes and when to seek professional assistance.
The riders have also called for wider adoption of first aid training among people who regularly use Kenya’s roads, arguing that basic emergency-response knowledge could improve the response to road crashes.
Beyond the initial pilot, the partnership places community preparedness alongside road safety, with the Kenya Red Cross continuing to use training and emergency-response programmes to strengthen community capacity. KRCTI lists first aid, emergency medical services, disaster management and community resilience among its training and partnership areas.
The Bolt-Kenya Red Cross programme will now move into its expansion phase, with the experience of the initial 75 riders expected to inform how the training is delivered to the wider group of boda boda riders across Kenya.
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