Democracy and good governance
Ride for Peace
Mobilizing Mombasa’s boda boda sector as champions of peaceful, safe, and secure elections ahead of 2027.
Under the Safety for All Youth project, Stretchers Youth Organization, with financial and technical support from the Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) and in partnership with the Ministry of Interior and National Administration (Mombasa County) and the Mombasa County BodaBoda Association, launched the Ride for Peace 2027 national campaign.
The campaign mobilizes Kenya’s boda boda sector — one of the largest youth-driven industries — as champions of peaceful elections. Mombasa’s sector hosts over 30,000 riders. Riders are often first responders in their communities, and they also face stereotyping, political manipulation, safety risks, and strained relations with law enforcement.
Three pillars guide the work: structured dialogue between riders and security leadership; practical training on conflict resolution, early warning, misinformation, hate speech, and road safety; and a public re-framing of riders as peace ambassadors.
Town halls reached Changamwe and Jomvu (national launch at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 126 participants), Kisauni and Nyali (FrereTown Multipurpose Hall, 121 participants), and Likoni / Mtongwe (209 participants). Targeted outreach lifted female participation from 18 percent in early forums to 53 percent at Mtongwe, the campaign’s first majority-female forum. Police leadership publicly committed to impartial, evidence-based investigations into allegations involving riders.