Being a Kenyan is very prestigious and we should always be proud of and so am I. Although it is among the developing countries, it is one of the best tourist destinations in the world thanks to its beauty. Kenyans are known for adopting and embracing new skills very fast.
As I mentioned in my other article https://dirtbikewarrior.com/dirt-bike-riding-in-kenya/ ,dirt biking is a new skill that was welcomed well in Kenya. However, because of its nature, the sport has faced various challenges and bikers have been forced to pay this price.
Unfortunately, the people who have paid a greater price for this are the female riders. In this article, I will table down some of the challenges these riders have faced over the years.
1. Discrimination
You heard me well, discrimination! Kenyans just like many other African countries have a certain mindset and set expectation from the female gender. There are many things that are only thought to be set for men and men only. One of these activities is dirt bike riding.
Seeing a woman ride a dirt bike on the road is never welcomed. According to different female riders, they admit to sometime feel intimidated by how people look at them when on the bike. However, their great passion and determination in the sport has kept them going.
The most unfortunate thing is, some people discriminate them even in the society. To make matters worse, even their fellow women have not yet been able to come into terms with this fact. They are however hoping that things will be different very soon!
2. Harassment From Other Road Users
When we talk about bikers, we are not only talking about dirt bikers but bikers as a whole. Although things are much easier for female dirt bikers, their counterparts on the road have a different story to tell. Almost all female biker has suffered a certain level of harassment from other road users in Kenya.
Although women tend to respect them and show some support, men are totally the opposite. The harassment might be just a mere insult but sometimes it gets worse and they opt to pull out of the road to avoid unnecessary scandal.
This has however not stopped them from enjoying what they love the most. As a way of supporting each other, some women have come together to enjoy dirt bike riding as a team. The girls have received different nicknames in the social media but that doesn’t deter them from reaching their goals.
Some of the titles they have been given include: “Kenya’s Queens of the road”, “Born to be wild”, “Inked Sisters” and many more. These are women who have different careers but have decided to fire up their passion in biking. Coming together as a team has helped them develop confidence and achieve a lot.
3. Insurance Regulations
When it comes to insurance regulations and covers, this does not affect women bikers only. All bikers in Kenya have been going through the same problems when it comes to matters of insurance. Some of these challenges are created by the insurance companies while others are created by bikers themselves.
Some of these are; lack of understanding of the available dirt bike covers, no clear implications incase of an accident and so forth. The good thing however is, IRA are working on this and very soon, all the insurance problems will be a thing of the past.
Winding Up
Being born a woman should never be treated as a tragedy. Women should be given equal opportunities just like men. These beautiful queens have proven that what men can do, women can do even better!
