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Mombasa's no-nonsense rickshaw driver

Fathiya Omar
September 30, 2021

Farida Shenga is one of Mombasa's few female rickshaw drivers. While necessity initially forced her into the profession, she now relishes it and doesn't put up with any nonsense.

https://p.dw.com/p/403ZH

In Mombasa's Old Town Farida Shenga starts her day tidying up her rickshaw. Shenga became a rickshaw driver in 2005 after her husband died, leaving her as the family's sole breadwinner. After buying a new rickshaw with a friend, she then had to learn how to use it. On the road, she is an iron lady: careful, but tough. Men dominate Kenya's rickshaw business, and Mombasa's conservative society often stops young women from doing traditionally "male" jobs. Shenga has three children and has become a role model for young girls in the community. While women rickshaw drivers are still rare, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many women into male-dominated jobs.