Bolt Partners Mombasa County to License 400 Delivery Riders

In Short

• Bolt and the Mombasa County government have launched a programme to formalise 400 delivery riders.
• Riders will get accredited training and NTSA licences using Kenya’s Recognition of Prior Learning framework.
• Bolt has committed KES 1.5 million to support training, licensing, compliance, and digitisation.

What Happened

Bolt has partnered with the Mombasa County government in Kenya to train and license 400 delivery riders. The goal is to move riders from informal work into a regulated setup, with recognised skills and proper paperwork.

The programme uses Kenya’s Recognition of Prior Learning, or RPL, framework. RPL is a system that checks skills learned on the job and certifies them, like turning “experience” into an official qualification. Enrolled riders will complete 21 days of accredited training through a certified driving school.

After training and assessment, riders will receive formal licences issued by Kenya’s National Transport and Safety Authority, or NTSA. Bolt says the certification will also help riders qualify to operate on Bolt Food.

This programme sits under a wider partnership between Bolt and Mombasa County that started with a memorandum of understanding signed in January 2026. That agreement focuses on improving compliance and road safety, supporting youth employment, and helping transport businesses adopt digital platforms.

Why It Matters

Kenya’s motorcycle delivery economy is large, but many riders operate without the training and documentation regulators want. A formal licensing track can improve safety outcomes and reduce disputes over enforcement, fines, and insurance after accidents.

For Bolt, this is also an operations play. A larger pool of trained, licensed riders can support more reliable delivery fulfilment and better service levels for food delivery and last-mile logistics in Mombasa.

For riders, a licence is more than a card. It can open access to platform work, increase earning stability, and make it easier to prove competency when dealing with police, customers, and financial services providers that require verified documentation.