The field of business, or entrepreneurship, knows no gender since the rules of the game are generally the same for men and women. In Rwanda’s vibrant motorcycle taxi business, one might think that women were totally left behind. Moving around the streets in Kigali, it is obvious that most ‘moto’ drivers are men. But talking to Marthe Muhayimana, 30, a taxi moto driver for nearly 10 years, you get the impression that truly, passion, belief, determination also have no gender like everything else. Muhayimana started the business in 2013. “When I started, everyone was so afraid of me. And I was so stigmatised. Now, however, being a motorcyclist has been a business that I cannot trade for anything else. I can get Rwf100, 000 as monthly income and now I am capable of paying school fees for my children which I couldn’t do earlier before doing this job.” Muhayimana started driving a motorbike when she was still young, after completing junior high school, or senior three. She relocated from Ruhango District and came to work in Kigali in June 2021. Later, she got married. Her husband is now also in the business. The mother of three; two girls and a boy, said she is able to provide for her family’s basic needs and do some saving as well. At first, life was so hard since she was not using her own bike. Now, however, from her savings, she owns one and has a second on the road. At some point, she had saved enough to buy a second bike. She now actually employs her husband. With her second bike, Jean Pierre Gasana, Muhayimana’s husband, deposits Rwf35, 000 on her account, weekly. Gasana said: “It is such an amazing experience to be my wife’s business partner. I deposit the weekly money and we still work together to provide for our family.” Grace Uwineza, 25, admitted that teething troubles exist. According to Uwineza, sometimes clients, “mostly fellow women, may cancel a ride when they find out that I am a woman.” She said: “They say that they can’t be driven by a female. When I ask why; the answer is always, ‘How can you trust a woman? What if we fall down?’ That is so discouraging.” Uwineza became a taxi-moto driver in 2019 soon after finishing high school. After her father’s death, she couldn’t afford the school fees for university. At the time, very few girls would dare ride a motorbike. Uwineza said it is remarkable to see other women now interested in the business. “It is a nice job to do just like any other. I am able to cover health insurance for myself and my three other siblings as well as our mother,” Uwineza said. Uwineza earns more than Rwf 200,000 every month and she rides her own bike. Meanwhile, after 10 years in the business, Muhayimana is looking forward to upgrading her driving license. If all goes well, she will soon drive a car, she said. The two women also call upon fellow women to know their worth and never underrate any job. “Being a motorcyclist is as good as any other business,” Uwineza said. “With discipline and determination, female moto drivers can really achieve their goals,” Muhayimana added.
