This archive report was first published on 15 July 2019.
On July 15, 2019, a group of online app taxi drivers in Nairobi gathered at Uhuru Park to protest against reduced earnings from companies like Uber, Taxify, and Little Cab.
The drivers, who were affiliated with the Digital Online Taxi Association, claimed that they had signed a memorandum of understanding in July 2018 with other stakeholders in the sector, including the Transport Cabinet Secretary and the digital app companies.
However, the drivers alleged that the companies had ignored their complaints and concerns, subjecting them to 'unrealistically low payments' despite the increase in fuel prices and other expenses.
According to Peter Mutuku, an official of the Digital Online Taxi Association, the drivers had pleaded with the digital taxi firms to review their terms and conditions of service, but they had been met with a 'deaf ear.'
The drivers also accused the companies of engaging in a 'vicious price war' that had led to the drastic reduction in their earnings.
Jeremiah Kang'ethe, another driver, demanded an immediate withdrawal of the Uber Chap Chap and Bot Go services, which he said had reduced them to 'mere slaves chasing after an elusive profit margin.'
According to Vincent Omolo of the Digital Taxi Owners Association, the relationship between Uber and taxi drivers was only good in the initial stages of the digital app's entry into the Kenyan market.
Omolo alleged that his association had lost 10 members due to accidents caused by fatigue in the last two months, adding that drivers were forced to work for longer hours in order to make ends meet.
