Uganda’s growing digital economy depends on more than smartphones, apps and online payments. Every day, motorcycle riders move meals, goods and orders from restaurants, shops and businesses to customers, making them an essential link between the digital and physical economies.
But as the rider community grows, so does the need to make safety part of the conversation.
Glovo Uganda is expanding its focus on rider safety through in-person training, technology and welfare support, bringing together riders and key stakeholders at a recent Rider Safety Event in Kampala.
The event brought together Michael Kamoga, Road Safety Officer at the Ministry of Works and Transport, Kampala Boda Boda Association Security Chairperson Ssenabulya Richard and Brendon Njoroge, Operations Manager at Glovo Uganda, for practical engagement on road safety, awareness and safer riding behaviour.
“At Glovo, riders are essential to the company’s operations and play an important role in Uganda’s growing digital economy,” Njoroge said.
“Every day, riders navigate Kampala’s roads to connect customers and businesses, demonstrating commitment, resilience and hard work.” he adds.
He added that road safety needs to remain a continuous priority, supported by practical education, awareness and tools that encourage safer riding.
For Glovo, that approach now extends beyond traditional safety training. In May 2026, the company introduced a rider safety feature within its app designed to give riders greater visibility into their riding behaviour and help them identify behaviours that may increase risk. A third safety training cohort is planned for December, with further road-safety initiatives and engagement expected in 2027.
The company is also positioning rider welfare as part of the wider safety conversation, highlighting insurance support as well as language and skills courses intended to support riders’ personal and professional development.
For riders, that broader support is important because safety is not simply about being told to ride carefully.
“As riders, we understand the importance of safety because we are on the road every day,” Ssenabulya said.
“What is valuable is having support that goes beyond simply telling riders to be safe.” he adds
His call for continued engagement between riders, platforms and other stakeholders points to a wider issue for Uganda’s digital economy: the people enabling digital services still have to operate in the physical realities of the country’s roads.
As delivery platforms connect more businesses and customers, riders remain the people turning digital transactions into real-world deliveries. Their safety and wellbeing therefore increasingly form part of the infrastructure supporting Uganda’s digital economy.
Glovo’s approach combines training, technology and welfare support. The longer-term test will be whether sustained engagement across riders, platforms and other stakeholders can translate these initiatives into safer riding and stronger support for the people powering an increasingly connected economy.
