NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 24 – Bolt and the Kenya Red Cross have started training boda boda riders in first aid, emergency response and road safety, targeting more than 500 riders in the first year.

The programme began on September 23 with 75 riders in Nairobi and is being delivered by the Kenya Red Cross Training Institute (KRCTI).

The four-hour training covered basic first aid, responding to emergencies, activating emergency services and road safety. The first 75 riders were certified as Community First Aid Ambassadors.

Bolt Senior Operations Manager, Rides, Arthur Gacharia, said the training would help riders respond appropriately to emergencies while knowing when to seek professional assistance.

The programme targets boda boda riders because they spend much of their time on roads and within communities and may be among the first people to encounter road crashes or other emergencies.

Kenya Red Cross Training and Capacity Building Director Monica Orero said the initiative would support efforts to improve emergency response and road safety.

The riders are trained to provide basic assistance within the limits of their training and contact professional responders where further medical intervention is required.

Bolt and the Kenya Red Cross plan to use feedback from the initial group to guide the rollout of the programme to more than 500 riders over the next year.