Listen closely at a Kampala junction and something is missing: the roar. A growing share of the city’s boda bodas now runs on batteries, not petrol.
The economics convinced riders first — swapping a drained battery costs a fraction of a tank of fuel, and swap stations have multiplied across the city.
Riders report higher daily earnings, while the city gets quieter streets and measurably cleaner air along the busiest corridors.
Local startups are assembling the bikes domestically, adding manufacturing jobs to the environmental dividend.
“Battery-swap stations, cheaper rides and cleaner air — the humble boda boda is going electric faster than anyone…”
The boda boda was always Uganda’s most important vehicle. It may now be its most important climate story too.
