How drive seeks to boost women riders' earnings
From left: Uber driver Fridah Wanjuhe, Uber driver Ann Githinji, Uber East Africa head Imran Manji, Uber East and West Africa communications head Lorraine Onduru, Uber Eats Kenya General Manager Kui Mbugua, Uber Eats rider Lilian Muyonga and Uber partner Jane Nanjala during the launch of Uber's women empowerment initiative GigSister on March 21.
What you need to know:
- Uber’s Head of Communications East and West Africa says the programme has achieved success in the UK and other parts of Europe.
- Through through partnerships, they have uplifted and empowered women through mental health support, self-promotion, and self-defence training, she says.
Lilian Muyonga walked swiftly into the room and heaved a sigh as she sat down. "I hope I am not too late; I was just finishing a quick delivery," she whispered.
She is one of Uber’s women couriers who joined the ride-hailing platform in 2019 after working as a foot courier with Jumia. Her day begins at 9am to 8pm from Monday to Friday.
She has suffered two accidents on her motorcycle, but this has not shattered her ambitions, each time rising stronger. Being a courier has helped her to pay her bill and care for her teenage son.
As part of giving back to society, she feeds street children on weekends. She is grateful that because of her job, she can afford Sh3,000 to prepare meals, which she distributes along James Gichuru Road and in the Lavington area.
Empowerment
Ms Muyonga was among the riders and drivers in Nairobi who attended the launch of GigSister, a community-based initiative created by Women at Uber to connect, grow, and empower women.
During the launch, Uber East and West Africa communications head Lorraine Onduru said: “This initiative will help eliminate barriers for women in the gig economy.
"We want to support women, provide them with a platform to network, and make them feel empowered to get into the tech space and make a living out of it.”
The programme, she revealed, has achieved success in the UK and other parts of Europe, where, through partnerships, they have uplifted and empowered women through mental health support, self-promotion, and self-defence training.
"For GigSister, we have teamed up with Google to host a series of #iamRemarkable training to equip our women earners with leadership tools they can use to position themselves for success in running their businesses."
Dorothy Ooko, head of Communications and Public Affairs, Africa at Google, said: “The #IAmRemarkable training will help more women celebrate their achievements in the workplace and thrive in their businesses in the tech space.
"We believe this is a step in the right direction to ensure women are equally equipped with the information, support and opportunities they need."
Ms Muyonga hopes to use the initiative to grow her earnings and networks to meet her needs and establish a better feeding programme for street children.
