Mpeketoni: Small town in Lamu where women rule the streets on bikes

Mpeketoni is a relatively small town nestled next to Boni forest, in the coastal county of Lamu. It’s quiet, yet busy, and interestingly unique. 

With limited public transport and a population always on the move, residents have found ways to go about their activities.

Motorcycles and bicycles are the main means of transport, and interestingly, it is the women who are mostly riding.

Through the streets and the main roads, women are seen leaving work, going to the market, farms and even the hospital on their motorbikes, and on bicycles.

“I’m from the office. I’m an extension officer here in Mpeketoni. This motorbike is my means of movement because here we don’t have much public transport,” Trizah Ngugi, a resident, says.

She has been riding for five years now. Trizah says she was forced to learn how to ride a motorbike because of necessity.

“Here, literally every woman knows how to ride either a bicycle or a motorbike. Because we are always on the move and we can’t rely on our partners to move us around,” she adds.

On the dusty streets of Mpeketoni, a mother is riding through the streets with her baby strapped on her back, another is carrying farm produce, and another is meeting a friend.

Kids are mostly on their bicycles. We are told that literally everyone here depends on these means of transport to move around.

By Edward Chweya

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