More than 300 women in Kwale have joined boda boda business to earn a living.
Over the years, the sector has been a preserve of the youth but grown tremendously drawing in both men and women and feeding millions of Kenyans.
The boda boda business is estimated to be worth over Sh5 billion in the country.
The industry is also largely associated with rogue youth who don't follow laws.
However, in Kwale, women are gradually joining the business, competing with men who have for years dominated the sector.
According to their chairperson Patience Ndimiro, more women are adopting the business.
The women started by owning the motorbikes and hired men to ride the bikes but as time went by learnt to operate them.
"Some directly do the boda boda work, while others benefit indirectly because they have employed people. But recently some bosses have opted to go to driving schools and join their female colleagues," she said.
Ndimiro said a big number of women who have joined the sector come from Kinango.
On the Coast, Kwale is believed to have recorded the highest number of women in the boda boda sector.
She said they want to change the narrative that certain jobs belong to a specific gender.
The chairperson said women have equal rights to compete for employment opportunities, adding that the notion that they are only meant to take care of the home and raise children should be shunned.
"We are no different from men and we can't be left behind in development; that is why we are doing this job," she said.
Ndimiro said women must not limit themselves to depending on men for everything and urged them to not shy away from any kind of work.
"Doing boda boda work is safer than going to foreign countries where females are being misused and sexually harassed," she said.
If women would stop being too choosy, their work could contribute a lot to the country's economy, she added.
She, however, said the boda boda sector is a profession that requires a lot of patience and perseverance.
"The society sometimes despises women especially when you do certain jobs like bod boda, men also think of us as a threat because of joining the male-dominated sector," she said.
Ndimiro now wants the county security to provide enough protection as more women join the boda boda sector, saying sometimes they face harassment while working.
Boda Boda Association of Kenya Kwale chairman Nehemiah Kinywa said he will ensure women are respected and work harmoniously with men.
-Edited by SKanyara