Traffic on Riverside Drive, one of Nairobi Westland’s busiest commercial areas, came to a standstill on Tuesday morning after a group of Greenwheels Africa riders staged a protest outside the company’s offices.
The riders, who work under a partnership between Greenwheels Africa, an electric mobility firm, and Uber’s boda-hailing service, were demanding the removal of a disputed payment feature known as “zero rides.”
The dispute is over how Uber’s payment system handles “zero rides.” Riders claim that even when no trip is completed, money is still shown as credited to their accounts—only to be swiftly deducted as “commission” by Uber. The riders argue that this system creates accounting confusion and cuts into their expected earnings.
The protest, which drew “tens” of riders according to one rider, Paul Sakwa, lasted for over an hour before police dispersed the crowd. The riders, wearing their Greenwheels-branded jackets and helmets, blocked the road, with some seen pulling passengers off Greenwheels electric bikes and urging fellow riders to join the demonstration.
Greenwheels Africa, founded in 2023, operates one of the largest electric two-wheeler fleets in Kenya and supplies bikes to riders working through Uber’s motorcycle taxi service, Uber Boda. In 2024, Greenwheels CEO Nabil Anjarwalla claimed the company had moved over 700,000 passengers and covered more than 12 million kilometres on electric bikes in its first year.
Unlike traditional motorcycle operators who own their own bikes, Greenwheels riders use company-provided electric bikes under a structured pay system that includes salaries and bonuses. The firm also covers maintenance and battery-swapping costs.
That model has been promoted as a more stable alternative to the informal boda boda economy, which employs over 3 million Kenyans. But Tuesday’s protest exposed growing frustration among riders who feel they lack transparency and control over their income.
Greenwheels Africa did not immediately respond to a request for comments on the incident.
“Sometimes you work the whole day, but when you check your balance, you see money added, then removed instantly,” Sakwa told . “They say it’s Uber taking commission, but we never made a ride.”
Uber’s local representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comments.
People familiar with the partnership, who asked not to be named to speak freely, said both companies have been adjusting their payment processes to align with the formal employment structures introduced last year.
Under the Greenwheels–Uber model, riders earn a fixed monthly wage plus performance bonuses tied to completed trips and customer ratings.
Uber processes all ride payments through its app, deducts its commission, and remits the balance to Greenwheels, which then pays riders. The “zero rides” line item appears to represent an automated system record, but its financial treatment remains unclear.
The protest signals the tension between formalisation and flexibility in Kenya’s growing electric mobility market. “We just want to understand what is being deducted and why,” Sakwa said.
