BuuPass, a Kenyan mobility startup,  is expanding beyond its consumer roots with the launch of a corporate travel platform, Gavanpass, as it looks to capture a largely undigitised segment of Africa’s enterprise economy.

The Nairobi-based company told TechCabal on Thursday that more than 20 enterprises across Kenya—including banks, fintechs, insurers, and manufacturers—are already using the platform to manage business travel.

The move marks a strategic expansion for BuuPass, which has spent the past eight years building a consumer-facing marketplace for bus, rail, and flight bookings. 

Since its founding in 2017, the company says it has sold more than 30 million tickets and processed over $100 million in travel transactions in the past year alone, primarily across Kenya, Uganda, and South Africa.

With Gavanpass, BuuPass targets finance and procurement teams that oversee corporate travel budgets, as well as operations staff who coordinate trips. The platform integrates bookings for flights, hotels, buses, ground transfers, and group travel into a single system, while embedding approval workflows, policy controls, and real-time spend tracking.

“Finance leaders have been telling us their problem is bigger than consumer travel,” BuuPass co-founder and co-CEO Sonia Kabra told TechCabal. “They need one platform that handles everything, but also gives them the controls they actually need.”

Corporate travel accounts for an estimated 3–5% of enterprise revenue globally, but in many African markets, the category remains heavily manual. Bookings are mostly handled via phone calls or messaging apps, while approvals are dispersed across email chains, and reconciliation can stretch weeks, particularly for companies operating in multiple currencies.

The company argues that existing global corporate travel tools are poorly adapted to African operating environments, where currency volatility, supplier fragmentation, and cross-border travel present unique challenges.

“Most enterprise software is built elsewhere and then localised,” said Wycliffe Omondi, BuuPass co-founder and co-CEO. “We built this from the ground up with African finance and procurement teams.”

The launch comes as African startups look to enterprise software as a path to more predictable revenues, amid tougher funding conditions and rising pressure to demonstrate profitability. 

FrontEnd Ventures, an early investor in BuuPass, said the new product reflects the founders’ track record of building products that respond to user needs. 

“Gavanpass applies the same instinct to the enterprise market,” said Njeri Muhia, a general partner at the firm.

BuuPass plans to roll out Gavanpass across sub-Saharan Africa in the coming months, betting that regional companies—especially those with operations in multiple countries—will adopt a unified system to manage travel spend and compliance.

Uber’s arrival in Kenya in January 2015 was a turning point for the country’s urban transport sector. The American ride-hailing app made it possible to summon a car from a smartphone, see a fare estimate before boarding, and pay by cash or card. 

At that time, it was the first taste of tech-enabled convenience for riders in Nairobi. The service quickly spread beyond Nairobi to Mombasa and Kisumu. Over the past decade, Uber has influenced how Kenyans think about taxis, forced regulators to amend transportation laws, and created new earning opportunities for thousands of drivers (Uber declines to share how many drivers work on its platform in Kenya).

Uber’s growth coincided with fare reductions, a high commission structure, and heavy driver protests. The company has been sued, probed by the government, and experienced repeated strikes. 

It now enters its second decade with Uber Safari, a new product that links its platform to Nairobi’s tourism economy. The launch has been met with praise and unease, signaling that many drivers and policymakers still have mixed feelings about Uber’s place in Kenya’s transport system.

Legal and regulatory changes 

When Uber entered the market, it was treated as a technology platform rather than a transport operator. This early classification gave it room to grow without being subject to the strict licencing requirements faced by traditional transport businesses. 

Local taxi associations pushed back, accusing Uber of unfair competition and calling for a level regulatory field. In 2015 and 2016, there were violent attacks on Uber drivers, including reports of vehicles being vandalised near popular pick-up points.

Amidst these issues, regulatory response took years to form. By 2019, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) had created a licencing regime for digital taxi operators, which required them to register, share trip data with regulators, and enforce a commission cap. 

Court cases by drivers further forced Uber to revise its contracts. A key ruling by the High Court held that Uber BV (its Dutch subsidiary) in Amsterdam could not avoid responsibility for fare decisions in Kenya. This clarified that drivers were in a contractual relationship with Uber Kenya and that any fare or commission change had to be fair and transparent.

Taxation has been another area of tension. The Finance Act introduced digital service tax in 2021 and later e-TIMS compliance in 2024, forcing Uber and its drivers to register for PINs and submit electronic invoices. While this improved tax compliance and gave the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) better visibility into ride-hailing income, many drivers say it increased their administrative and financial burden at a time when fuel prices were already eroding their margins.

Consumer protection rules also changed the way Uber operates. After a 2025 probe by Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa’s (COMESA) competition authority, Uber was compelled to revise its terms so that disputes are handled under Kenyan law, not Dutch law. The same order required Uber to clearly communicate price surges and obtain consent from riders before adjusting fares mid-trip.

Drivers’ experiences and repeated protests

The promise of Uber as a steady income stream drew thousands of drivers onto the platform. Many took loans or entered lease-to-own arrangements to acquire vehicles. At first, generous incentives and high base fares made it possible to earn comfortably. But fare reductions in 2016 and a 25% commission rate quickly strained drivers’ finances. Net earnings fell below what many needed to repay loans and maintain their cars.

At some point during the COVID-19 pandemic, drivers staged sit-ins outside Uber’s offices in Nairobi and occasionally switched off the app to disrupt service. Their demands included reducing commission to 10 or 15%, increasing fares to reflect fuel and maintenance costs, and allowing more flexibility in how drivers set prices. 

Uber responded by introducing a tipping feature, occasional fare adjustments, and maintenance discounts, but many drivers say the changes did not address the underlying problem that most trips were still unprofitable after expenses.

There is an ongoing debate about whether driving for Uber can be a main source of income. A 2025 IDinsight study found that Kenya’s platform drivers often work over 66 hours per week to break even. 

Earnings fluctuate based on demand, traffic, and competition from other platforms such as Bolt, Little, and Faras. While some drivers report making enough to sustain their households, others say the model pushes them into debt and forces them to work dangerously long hours.

“Most of the Uber cars on the road are financed through loans. Drivers often work long hours just to cover monthly payments, because if they fall behind, the cars are repossessed,” Paul Sakwa, a former ride-hailing driver who now uses an electric bike, told TechCabal on Wednesday.

The protests have rarely translated into lasting policy change. The NTSA’s 18% commission cap, introduced in 2022, was seen as a win for drivers but was only partially implemented, with platforms continuing to charge more through loopholes. Labour unions have tried to organise drivers into cooperatives and bargaining groups, but high turnover and oversupply of drivers make collective action difficult to sustain.

What Uber Safari represents

For its tenth anniversary in Kenya, Uber launched Uber Safari on Tuesday, a product that allows users to book guided tours of Nairobi National Park directly through the app for KES 25,000 ($194) during the day or KES 40,000 ($311) at night. Riders can choose day or night packages, reserve in advance, and get picked up in safari-ready vehicles. 

The idea is to merge urban ride-hailing with the tourism sector, creating a new revenue stream for licensed tour operators and giving Uber access to a premium segment.

“With Uber Safari, riders can choose between two unique offerings: a Day Safari or a Night Safari, both through Nairobi National Park – the first of its kind available through the Uber app. Using Uber Reserve, riders can pre-book their adventure directly in the app, then be picked up in a fully licensed, safari-ready Land Cruiser operated by licensed tour companies,” Uber said in a statement seen by TechCabal. 

Despite this, only drivers with special vehicles and partnerships with fleet operators can participate, leaving out the bulk of ride-hailing drivers. 

Some see this as a missed opportunity, arguing that the company should first address earnings on regular trips before branching into tourism. Others worry that Uber Safari will create new pricing pressures by introducing its algorithm-driven approach to a sector that traditionally allows operators to negotiate higher margins.

“No wonder they don’t initially show the price on the app. KES 25,000 is enough for a holiday in Diani,” Kiruti Itimu, a media executive in Nairobi, told Techcabal on Wednesday. 

A tour operator, who requested anonymity and runs an office in Nairobi’s Westlands, told TechCabal that they already face high licencing fees and compliance costs, and fear Uber’s entry could trigger a race to the bottom in safari pricing. Supporters argue that Uber Safari could expand the market by attracting younger, tech-savvy tourists who might not book a traditional tour.

A half-day trip to the park typically costs between $43 and $138 per person with a tour company or park-operated vehicle, significantly lower than Uber’s rates.

A mixed decade, and what comes next

Uber’s first ten years in Kenya have been marked by undeniable growth and equally undeniable conflict. It pioneered digital ride-hailing, expanded payment options, and gave many urban residents safer and more predictable transport. 

It also expanded into food delivery, motorcycle taxis, and low-cost services such as Chapchap, changing how logistics and mobility work in Kenyan cities.

But the decade has also been defined by disputes over fairness. Drivers have protested fare cuts, taken Uber to court, and lobbied for regulatory protection. Regulators have responded with piecemeal reforms, some helpful, others burdensome. Passengers have benefited from lower fares and better service, but often at the expense of driver welfare.

Uber can double down on growth by finding new markets like tourism and continuing to optimise for riders, or it can work toward driving a more sustainable livelihood by sharing more revenue with its core workforce. 

Suppose the last ten years are any guide. In that case, the tension between profitability, driver welfare, and regulatory compliance will continue to influence Uber’s and, by extension, other ride-hailing platforms in the Kenyan story.

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BasiGo, a pioneer in electric mobility in Sub-Saharan Africa, has launched Kenya’s first pilot program for electric matatus on inter-city...

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Living and working in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa is like sleeping with one eye open. In a blink, migrants can lose access to their livelihoods and face a 60-day ultimatum to find another job or be deported back to their home countries.

A Skilled Worker visa can only be sponsored by an authorised company in the UK, few as they are. Things can quickly unravel once an employment is terminated. What follows is a frantic race against time where every rejection, delay or dead-end carries the risk of being forced to leave the country.

I spoke with a UK-based tech worker who experienced this distress firsthand. After leaving college in 2021, he worked as a tech creative in Rwanda but soon landed an opportunity to work at a global tech firm. He worked briefly as an intern and then, after becoming a full-time staff, came to the UK through the Skilled Worker visa program. But just as he was settling into his new life and career, a company-wide layoff left him in the lurch.

This is the story of the tech worker, who asked to remain anonymous for job security reasons, as told to TechCabal.

Welcome to the UK

I attended a session early in 2021 where volunteers were invited to get feedback on their portfolios. I signed up immediately. During that session, I met one of the panel reviewers, a recruiter working at a global tech company. She liked my drive. So, we connected on LinkedIn and kept in touch casually.

By the summer of 2021, she reached out again. There was an internship opportunity at the company—ideal for new graduates. I didn’t need convincing. I applied, went through interviews, and got the position. It was a remote role with the tech company, during a time when the world was still recovering from the 2020 global pandemic. I was based in Rwanda at the time and worked with a team spread across Europe.

I joined a team focused on onboarding experiences for work account users. At the company, I met experienced creatives like myself, widened my network, and committed to a singular goal: to get a full-time offer. I networked, refined my portfolio, and ensured my performance was strong enough and visible to my employer.

When the internship ended, there was a performance evaluation. Fortunately, the company did a headcount and found out that it needed new employees in one of its creative departments. With help from the recruiter, I went through the internal hiring process and secured a full-time offer. Once I got the offer, the company started discussions to relocate me to the UK.

It partnered with an accounting firm to handle everything about my visa paperwork to a temporary accommodation in the UK. When I arrived, they advised me on neighbourhoods to live in, sorting taxes, healthcare, and more.

The process [to get my visa] took over two months. Despite corporate support, I still had to undergo health screenings, a tuberculosis test, and provide documents such as a police report and affidavits explaining discrepancies in my surname. But it was the waiting part that was the hardest: I went weeks without updates, unsure if I should plan or panic. It took a while.

But by 2022, I finally relocated to the UK on the Skilled Worker visa, sponsored by the tech company I worked for.

Fast forward to 2025, after working across various teams in the company, a sudden company-wide layoff came. My name was on the list of employees to be let go.

Find a new sponsor or go home 

Within hours of being laid off, the UK Home Office emailed. My visa and stay in the UK was tied to my job, and with the layoff, the sponsorship from my employer had been terminated. I now had 60 days to find a new sponsor or leave the UK. This is called the curtailment period.

I panicked when the email came in. I was already grieving the job loss, and now immigration uncertainty loomed.

I began planning for three futures: find a new UK sponsor, relocate to another country, or return to Rwanda. I started browsing flats in Kigali and Lagos while sending out applications to UK companies. I interviewed at seven companies. Six rejected me outright—they didn’t offer to continue my visa sponsorship. Only one was open to discussing it.

Eventually, I applied to a fintech company I admired. I connected with a recruiter and rushed through the interview process. Fortunately, the company agreed to sponsor me. Due to the fact that it was a visa transfer, and not a fresh application, the process was quicker.

That was how I survived the 60-day countdown. But it took a toll on me.

Curtailment comes with a heavy emotional burden

There is no soft landing when a curtailment notice arrives. The message from the UK Home Office is coldly detached; for them, it’s business as usual. But for the migrant on the receiving end, the emotional weight is heavy. 

Curtailment periods bring a sense of unadulterated dread—of losing a place to live, of disrupting fragile progress, of being told that years of effort might soon amount to nothing. 

UK Twitter

I need help for a lady. She came as dependent but I don't know what the guy did. He has been deported under Part 9 of the Immigration rules. She has been given 2 months to leave or find alternative.

She has only 6 weeks left. Any help with COS will be appreciated

— Sir Dickson (@Wizarab10) June 14, 2024

There is crippling uncertainty, too. Migrants know what comes next, but not how to get through it.

Faced with the curtailment notice, only three paths typically lie ahead for African migrants.

The first option is to find a new sponsor. That means finding a company that is not only hiring, but also licensed and ready to take on the responsibility of sponsoring a Skilled Worker visa. In the UK, only 134,901 companies—about 3% of the nearly 5.5 million registered companies in the country—are authorised to sponsor foreign workers on temporary work, Skilled Worker, or Global Mobility visas. 

For a migrant looking for sponsorship, this drastically reduces the pool of employers they’re even willing to consider. Even when a migrant is making headway on a job application with one of the few authorised employers, these companies could lose interest the moment visa sponsorship is mentioned, according to another digital nomad who spoke to TechCabal. It simply means more paperwork.

Employers must prove why the role is essential, confirm that it cannot easily be filled by local talent, and then formally request permission to sponsor. Some companies find the process for getting approval for Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) issuance tedious. Not many are willing to take that on.

Beyond the paperwork, the problem could be that the employer has already filled the number of sponsorship slots it is authorised to offer for the year. Or it could be that the employer simply cannot afford to pay the new salary threshold required for visa sponsorship: £41,700 ($49,000) for most Skilled Worker roles (up from £38,700 as of July 22), while health and care jobs remain at £25,600 ($30,000). These thresholds mean that after tax deductions, those are the least amounts skilled workers must take home. It is also possible that the company has simply exhausted its budget for sponsoring new visa applicants. 

As a result, even the most qualified candidates are often overlooked, not because they lack skill, but because of the cost and complexity of sponsorship. 

The second option is to switch to a different visa route. But that comes with its own set of challenges. Some migrants who work in tech may qualify for a Global Talent visa if they can prove exceptional ability. Others might consider a Graduate visa or a Spouse visa, if their partner has British citizenship or a stable immigration status in the UK. Each of these options comes with its own requirements, restrictions, and timelines. 

These paths demand careful preparation, eligibility, and often a bit of luck. In reality, they are out of reach for most people caught in the 60-day countdown, due to the length of the processing times.

Digital Nomads: How creatives can japa with the UK Global Talent Visa

The third and most painful option is to leave the country. Not just the UK, but the life that has been built there. Migrants on Skilled Worker visas often invest time and resources to reach that point. They leave families to adjust to new systems and settle into unfamiliar cities. Being forced to walk away from that progress is a loss that goes beyond employment. It means starting again, often in a place they thought they had left behind.

It currently takes five years on a Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker visa to qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK. ILR is the legal right to live and work in the UK without needing a visa. It represents security, residency permanence, and a future that does not hinge on employer decisions. But that future is fragile.

For example, a migrant could lose their job in year 4 of their UK stay. If they cannot find a new sponsor, all that progress is erased. They return home with nothing to show for the years they spent building a life abroad.

Worse, that five-year path may grow longer. The UK government is considering a proposal to extend the ILR timeline to ten years. If that happens, the stakes get even higher.

What it means to stay, and what it takes to plan

Skilled Worker visa holders are vulnerable to disruptions. After years of work, system integration, and tax contributions, their future could be undone by a single corporate decision.

The precarity makes it difficult to plan a future. The idea of settling down, building a future, or even staying put starts to feel risky. Many African professionals left developing economies for the UK. But a curtailment notice could throw everything off-balance.

Migrants on Skilled Worker visas, skilled as they come, remain some of the most precariously placed residents in the UK. Their competence on the job typically carries them through the five-year period to ILR. But as an added layer of caution, it pays for migrants to be on their best behaviour, according to one digital nomad who asked to remain anonymous.

Some sponsoring companies are starting to recognise the emotional toll that comes with sudden layoffs. In a few cases, especially in industries hit hard by economic downturns, migrants are being given advance notice when workforce reductions are on the horizon. 

While that warning does not soften the emotional blow, it gives migrants a sliver of time to plan, offering them a chance to prepare for what comes next.

* The names of the individuals featured in this story and where they work have been kept anonymous to maintain privacy.

Mark your calendars! Moonshot by TechCabal is back in Lagos on October 15–16! Join Africa’s top founders, creatives & tech leaders for 2 days of keynotes, mixers & future-forward ideas. Early bird tickets now 20% off—don’t snooze! moonshot.techcabal.com

Kenyan mobility startup BuuPass has secured an undisclosed strategic investment from Yango Ventures, marking a new phase in its plan to digitise long-distance travel across Africa.

The deal brings fresh backing from Yango Group’s newly launched USD 20 M corporate venture fund, focused on high-growth markets in sectors like B2B SaaS, fintech, and O2O platforms.

Founded in 2016 by Sonia Kabra and Wyclife Omondi, BuuPass has become a central layer of digital infrastructure for Africa’s fragmented intercity travel and logistics sector.

Its platform enables consumers to book intercity buses, trains, flights, and parcel services while equipping operators with software for inventory, payments, and fleet management. Through APIs, mobile apps, USSD, and offline sales agents, BuuPass processes transactions across multiple layers of Africa’s informal transport economy.

The company now operates in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and South Africa, working with over 150 transport providers. It processed over USD 70 M in bookings and sold 20 million tickets in 2024 alone. Last year’s acquisition of QuickBus in South Africa, on the heels of a USD 1.3 M pre-seed in 2023, bolstered its supply footprint and regional reach.

BuuPass CEO Kabra described Yango as a partner “who leans in with insight, not just capital” — a nod to the fund’s operational involvement. For Yango, it’s a bet on infrastructure as the enabler of inclusive growth in mobility. For BuuPass, it’s momentum in its bid to become the API for how Africa moves.

The post Kenya’s BuuPass Secures Funding From Yango Ventures To Expand Intercity Transport appeared first on WeeTracker.

MyNextCar (MNC), a key fleet enabler for Bolt in South Africa, has raised USD 10 M in its first institutional funding round—capital that could reshape the country’s low-cost ride-hailing landscape.

The investment, led by London-based Emso Asset Management with backing from Bolt, Assemble Capital, and E2 Investments, will help MNC scale its operations and roll out 1,500 new vehicles under Bolt Lite, a budget-focused category powered by the compact Bajaj Qute.

For Bolt and its partners, it’s a bet on a model that brings affordability, accessibility, and local relevance to South Africa’s mobility market.

Despite the success of Bolt Lite in pilot phases, the journey hasn’t been frictionless. Violent resistance from traditional taxi operators and illegal vehicle impoundments have made lenders wary.

This new funding signals renewed confidence in MNC’s ability to overcome those headwinds and validate an alternative future for urban transport.

To date, MNC has enabled over 700 drivers to earn on Bolt’s platform, with 43% of them being youth and 4% being women.

That demographic tilt is no coincidence. Both Bolt and MNC frame their partnership as part of a broader play to combat youth unemployment and expand financial inclusion via asset-light vehicle access. “This isn’t just about adding cars, it’s about changing lives,” a company spokesperson said.

The investment is also a vote of confidence from Emso, whose previous backing of Moove, a vehicle-financing startup for ride-hailing drivers, signals a growing interest in Africa’s mobility-fintech intersection. E2 Investments’ participation reinforces its impact-driven mandate to fund ventures that generate jobs in underserved segments.

By backing a business model built on small vehicles, lean economics, and broad access, the funders are effectively helping Bolt cement its presence in South Africa’s price-sensitive transport market.

With competition heating up and regulatory tensions still simmering, MNC’s next phase will test whether scale, impact, and margins can co-exist in the country’s rapidly evolving ride-hailing economy.

The post Bolt SA’s Low-Cost Ride Plug MNC Taps USD 10 M—With Moove’s Backer Behind The Wheel appeared first on WeeTracker.

Moove, the Uber-backed Nigerian startup that finances vehicles for ride-hailing companies, is seeking to raise $300 million in a fresh funding round that could push its valuation past $1 billion, according to The Information.

The planned raise comes at a time of rapid expansion for Moove. Last year, the company announced a partnership with Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving vehicle division, to manage and operate fleets of autonomous vehicles in Phoenix, Arizona, and Miami, Florida. Moove’s responsibilities include cleaning, charging, and storing Waymo’s electric robotaxis, as the self-driving service rolls out commercial operations in new U.S. markets.

Moove has raised $750 million in debt and equity to date, with backers including Uber and Mubadala Investment Company. In 2024, Moove raised $100 million, at a valuation of $750 million, from investors including Uber—which has a stake of more than 10% in the company—and Mubadala Investment Co.

Moove’s growth trajectory has also been fueled by strategic acquisitions. In January, the company acquired Kovi, a Brazilian urban mobility provider that finances ride-hailing drivers, which significantly boosted Moove’s revenue. The company’s annualized revenue has reportedly climbed to $360 million, up from $115 million just over a year ago, largely driven by its core business of extending loans to Uber drivers and its growing fleet management operations in the U.S. The new revenue pace suggests Moove is generating $30 million a month in revenue.

Founded by Ladi Delano and Jide Odunsi, the mobility fintech buys cars with bank loans and offers them to Uber drivers through a drive-to-own model. Drivers in Africa, India, and the UK pay for the cars out of their earnings and can eventually own them. Moove also recently expanded into robotaxi management, handling cleaning, charging, and storage when the cars aren’t in use. The company employs over 2,100 people worldwide and has recently hired at least 90 staff in the U.S. to support its expanding operations.

This latest funding effort underscores Moove’s ambition to become a key player in the autonomous mobility ecosystem, not only as a fleet operator for Waymo but also by potentially leasing mini-fleets of robotaxis to entrepreneurs and businesses in the future.

Moove’s current agreement with Waymo is confined to fleet management, according to co-founder Ladi Delano. The company is eyeing a broader role in the autonomous vehicle ecosystem, with plans to purchase AV-enabled cars directly from manufacturers and lease mini-fleets of robotaxis to individuals—potentially former ride-hailing drivers—or businesses looking to operate at scale. Moove would continue to oversee depot operations, handling charging, storage, and cleaning for the vehicles.

Mark your calendars!  Moonshot by TechCabal is back in Lagos on October 15–16! Join Africa’s top founders, creatives & tech leaders for 2 days of keynotes, mixers & future-forward ideas. Early bird tickets now 20% off—don’t snooze! moonshot.techcabal.com.