SafeBoda at 10: How a Kampala Startup Redefined Urban Mobility

In 2014, a simple idea was born - an idea that would transform Uganda’s boda boda industry and become a household name: SafeBoda.

At the heart of this journey were three visionary co-founders: Ricky Rapa Thomson, Maxime Dieudonné, and Alastair Sussock. 

Ricky Rapa Thomson, a determined and charismatic entrepreneur from Northern Uganda, had once worked as a security guard before becoming a boda boda rider.

Ricky was also a part-time tour guide showcasing the beauty of Kampala to visitors.

But behind his hustle was a heavy heart, he had lost his best friend in a tragic road accident. This experience made him care deeply about road safety and wanted a better, organized and dignified boda boda Industry.

SafeBoda began in a single-room office in Kyebando Central, with one driver—Moses Musinguzi, famously known as "Namba Emu", and a call center agent dispatching riders using GPS.

Today, SafeBoda boasts over 40,000 trained riders, 70 million rides, and a comprehensive Super App offering transportation, delivery, and digital financial services.

Ricky training some of SafeBoda’s first riders at the company’s first office in 2014.

SafeBoda introduced helmets, reflectors, driver training, and a code of conduct long before any regulatory body intervened.

Their disciplined riders, stopping at traffic lights and prioritizing safety, became a rare and powerful symbol of change. They signed up young Ugandan and Kenyan software engineers such as Cleave Masareka and Charles Muchene (now engineers at Expedia and Apple in the USA), among others to build the MVP App. 

SafeBoda’s first app interfaces in 2017

Throughout 2016 and 2017, SafeBoda began scaling its driver community, as interest in Greater Kampala’s vast, informal motorcycle taxi market—comprising over a million rides per day—grew among potential competitors.

In 2018, global competitors entered the motorcycle ride-hailing space in Africa for the first time, eyeing Kampala as a key opportunity. 

SafeBoda doubled down—launching an improved app, rapidly expanding driver base, and maintaining high standards of safety and training, including consistent helmet use.

In the years that followed, SafeBoda scaled up rapidly, expanded into Kenya and Nigeria, and caught the attention of global investors like Gojek, Allianz X, Google, and Yamaha.

Despite setbacks like the COVID-19 pandemic that forced retreats from some markets, SafeBoda proved resilient.

By 2022, they had launched SafeCar, a car-hailing service, and in 2024, they re-entered the Kenyan market with delivery services.

SafeBoda riders stopping at traffic lights on Kira Road

The team worked hand-in-hand with Uganda’s Traffic Police and the Ministry of Works and Transport, actively advocating for long-overdue regulations to bring order and safety to the previously unregulated boda boda sector.

Their persistence paid off in 2023, when the new regulatory framework was officially gazetted—ushering in a safer, more structured environment for both passengers and riders across the country.

SafeBoda has championed driver empowerment through meaningful partnerships aimed at improving their livelihoods. These include access to driver insurance, asset financing options to support motorcycle ownership, and land loan solutions.

Drivers have also benefited from smartphone loans, scholarship opportunities, fuel credit, and other initiatives aimed at promoting long-term financial stability and personal development. 

Now the team is in good hands with Rob Sanford as CEO and Frida Mwaura as COO with the company sustainable and growing in Uganda and Kenya. 

The SafeBoda App provides multiple services, including bodas, cars, package deliveries, and digital payments.