This archive report was first published on 24 July 2019.
On July 24, 2019, a dispute between local digital cab drivers and hailing firms reached the Kenyan Parliament, with Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo calling for a probe into the grievances of the drivers.
Senator Kilonzo wrote to the Senate Committee on Labour and Social Welfare on June 19, 2019, asking them to investigate the local taxi app landscape and explain how Kenya benefits from the presence of Uber, Bolt, and other ride-hailing apps.
He also asked the committee to explain how the State has shielded the drivers from exploitation and to investigate the 'skewed' profit-sharing agreements between the drivers and proprietors of the cab-hailing apps.
Drivers and partners, under the Digital Taxi Forum lobby, had been on a go-slow since last week Monday, owing to what they term as depressed earnings, coming about 10 months after a similar strike.
The drivers are seeking to have cases of insecurity resolved, upfront fares scrapped, and revaluation of the safety standards of the Suzuki Altos, Uber's budget taxis.
