Rickshaws are known in Tanzania and Ethiopia as “bajaj”, in Egypt as “toktok”, in Nigeria as “keke-marwa” and in Sudan as “raksha”, the tuk-tuk has now hit Liberia, where delighted locals have christened their own version the “kekeh”
Kekeh is imported from India and China by operators, mostly Nigerian and Guineans, who employ young Liberians.
“It’s helping our economy immensely. Number one, it generates revenue for the government; number 2, it serves as opportunity for job employment for the young people. We have dozens of youths in this country lacking jobs. The introduction of Kekeh is at least making the young people to put bread on their table.” Said Jenkins Zayzay, Secretary General, Liberia Motorcycle &Tricycle Association
Kekehs have already generated 5,000 jobs for Monrovians, many of whom were unemployed before.
“It’s helping our economy immensely. Number one, it generates revenue for the government and it serves as opportunity for employment for the young people,” Jenkins Zayzay, Secretary General, Liberia Motorcycle &Tricycle Association
A new kekeh costs 3,500 dollars or can be hired at a daily rate of around 25 dollars. Operators say the three-wheelers are tightly regulated when it comes to following the highway code and the number of passengers they can carry to avoid accidents.
India produces around 800,000 motorized rickshaws a year. And 30 African countries import the motorbikes. Huasha, based in the southern Chinese city of Jiangmen, is producing its own version which looks more like the front end of a motorbike towing a two-wheel passenger trailer.
