Kenya Ride-Hailing Minimum Fare: TIFA Survey and the September Court Ruling
Updated October 9, 2026
A TIFA Research survey published in August 2026 found that 59% of its surveyed Nairobi residents opposed a proposed government minimum fare for ride-hailing trips. That is a result from one survey, not a measure of every Nairobi resident’s opinion. A High Court judgment delivered on September 1 also changed the legal context around the ride-hailing rules.
What the survey measured
TIFA reported interviewing 733 Nairobi residents. In the results reported publicly, 59% opposed the proposal and 39% supported it. The article should be read as a snapshot of respondents’ stated views at the time; it cannot predict how passengers or drivers would actually respond if fares changed.
TIFA also reported that 60% of respondents said they would switch to another form of transport if ride-hailing fares rose significantly. This is a stated intention, not observed travel behaviour. A survey response alone cannot establish what a fare change would do to driver incomes, trip demand or household costs.
The later High Court ruling
On September 1, 2026, the High Court at Nairobi delivered judgment in Bolt Operations OÜ v Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport & 3 others (Petition E101 of 2025). The court declared the 2022 NTSA Transport Network Companies Regulations procedurally defective and unconstitutional, but suspended that declaration of invalidity for 12 months to allow the government to conduct fresh public participation and a regulatory impact assessment. The ruling also barred enforcement of specified provisions, including the 18% commission cap and certain data-retention requirements, during the suspension period.
The judgment concerned the 2022 regulations. It should not be described as a court decision on every proposed 2026 fare amount. The survey and the judgment address different questions: public opinion on a proposed fare policy, and the legality and process behind the existing regulatory framework.
What readers should take from the figures
- The 59% figure refers to respondents in TIFA’s survey, not all Nairobi residents.
- Survey answers about changing transport are intentions, not proof of what people later did.
- Driver earnings, passenger prices and demand can be affected by multiple costs and market conditions; this poll alone cannot establish the effect of a fare floor.
- The September court judgment addressed the 2022 regulations and ordered a 12-month period for the government to conduct further work.
