Bold women bikers take to the streets with two wheelers

Havana Gari’s biking journey began in 2019 when her humanitarian work in Uganda introduced her to the motorbike-dominated landscape.

“I had always wanted to ride a motorcycle since I was a child. Uganda has plenty of them, so I thought, why not? I’m an adventurous soul, and riding is freeing. It has now become my therapy and confidence booster,” she shares, smiling.

When I meet her, Havana’s long braids are meticulously styled for her trip to Arusha.

“With this hair, pedestrians can tell a woman is on the road and tend to be more polite,” she jokes.

Despite the positive reactions she often receives, Havana faces her fair share of scepticism.

“I get the usual questions: ‘Are you married? Do you have children? What does your family think about this?’ People can’t seem to understand why a woman would choose a motorcycle, which they believe is dangerous.”

Her greatest supporters are her husband, who understands that biking recharges her spirit, and her father, a former biker who maps out her routes, advising her on the best paths to take.

“I love riding because it’s about breaking the bias, not something people expect. My motto in life is to ‘do it scared.’”

Kenya’s roads, unfortunately, are not designed with bikers in mind. Havana laments: “Drivers aren’t observant of motorcyclists. You’re constantly fighting to stay on the road—either getting pushed off or squeezed into a tiny space.”

To combat this, Havana makes sure to follow the ‘All the Gear, All the Time’ rule.

“It’s important to gear up properly and ensure you’re mentally, physically, and emotionally ready to ride. Also, having a camera on my helmet helps me capture everything in case I need to report an incident.”

For Havana, biking is not just a hobby, it’s her therapy.

“I spend a lot of time inside my helmet, left to my thoughts. It’s taught me to be my own best friend and that nothing is impossible.”

She has biked through Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, and Zambia, relying on Google Maps and offline maps to navigate her solo adventures.

Her bike, “Luna”, is a Yamaha Tracer 900cc. She had to part with Sh1.4 million to buy Luna as she prepares to embark on a tour of 36 African countries to raise Sh50 million for a charity initiative.

Cross-country rides

Manuela Muller’s foray into biking began for practical reasons. As the owner of a consulting company in Nairobi, she initially used boda bodas to beat the city’s traffic, but safety concerns pushed her to learn how to ride her bike. “Now, six years later, I’ve ridden over 80,000 kilometres,” she says proudly.

For Manuela, biking has opened up a world of adventure, with her favourite spots being the northern parts of Kenya; Turkana, Marsabit, and Samburu.

“There’s nothing difficult about biking,” the 41-year-old says. “It’s about building your skills and courage. I spent four years touring Kenya before taking a month-long solo trip to South Africa.”

She says the trick for a successful solo trip is “to do your homework well, know the place, be vigilant, and talk to the local police now and then. You need to do your research on a place and not just make an assumption about the safety of a place.”

One of her biggest challenges has been understanding the mechanics of her bike, a KTM 390 Adventure, which weighs 180 kilogrammes.

“Knowing how to troubleshoot your bike and carry your tools is important, especially when travelling alone. I’ve taken mechanical training through the Women Bikers Association, which has been incredibly helpful.”

What has biking taught her? “To be spontaneous. Something about me is that I like planning everything. But biking brings out the adventure and the flexibility in me, helping me balance my personality,” the human resource consultant shares.

For Manuela the move to biking was not a difficult one, having come from a family of bikers. “I have cousins who ride bikes, so it did not come as a surprise. Also, they know me and know that I take my training and safety very seriously.”

Cultural expectations

Tasneem’s biggest supporter into biking was her husband. “At first, he was a bit hesitant as he had experienced a traumatic bike accident and he was concerned about me. However, in 2019, he fiinally allowed me to pursue my passion and now we are riding buddies,” she says.

As a Muslim woman, Tasneem has had to navigate cultural and societal expectations, but her determination never wavered.

“My support system is my group of women bikers. When choosing a bike, it’s important to listen to your gut—your bike will talk to you. You’ll know when you’ve found the right one.”

Tasneem rides her motorcycle to work, navigating Nairobi’s traffic to visit clients as a geriatrician. However, she laments the challenges women face on the road.

“As a hijabi [a woman wearing a hijab], I get uncomfortable attention. People ask, ‘Doesn’t your husband mind?’ or say, as a doctor, it doesn’t look good for me to be riding a bike.”

Biking, Tasneem says, is an expensive hobby. Her bike, a BMW GS 700, cost her close to Sh1 million.

“Some bikes can go up to as high as Sh5 to Sh6 million. Biking can be expensive. Let nobody lie to you that it’s just a bike.

"When you get the bike, that’s the start of it all. Then you want a helmet. Then there are so many types of helmets, and you’re not just looking at the aesthetic value. There’s the safety part, the weight of the helmet, and the way it functions. A good one can cost you around Sh15,000.

"The gear can be costly too, from the hand gloves, knee guards, the right pants, and jackets. You can find yourself spending around Sh60,000 on gear alone. You will spend a lot, but if you love something, you’d want to invest in it,” she says.

Her bike weighs 209 kilogrammes.

“The hardest time is when you are moving it or packing it. However, when you are on the road, you do not feel the weight,” she says.

Change for women bikers

As the president of the Women Bikers Association, Ashfa Virdee is a strong advocate for women in the biking community. At 42, she is a mother of two, and biking has become her way of reclaiming something for herself.

“After starting a family, I felt like something was missing. Biking filled that gap, and now my children are taking up the hobby too,” she says.

Ashfa rides a BMW F650, having traded in her old De mar Bike and Toyota Starlet. She dreams of upgrading to a BMW 750 GS. She calls herself a very cautious rider, as she intends to put a sticker on her bike, “Slow down, old lady riding.”

Under her leadership, the association organises awareness rides for causes like Alzheimer’s and breast cancer.

“We also advocate for gearing up properly and have ‘nyumba kumi’ groups to support bikers within specific regions in the city. If you run into trouble, someone from your group can show up to help,” she says.

“As part of our support community, we also have initiatives for women to come and learn off-road riding. For the ones who want to learn more about riding, we have DIYs where we learn to know your bike. The other day, I changed my clutch cable for myself, and I felt very proud of myself.”

These women bikers are not just riding but are defying societal expectations and breaking barriers with every mile.

Their stories of courage, resilience, and adventure testify to the power of passion and perseverance.

In a male-dominated space, they’ve created a strong community, proving that women belong on the open road.

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