Uber and Bolt commission in Kenya: what the 2026 court ruling means for car owners

If you own a car on Uber or Bolt, the platform's commission is not your cost — it comes out of the driver's fares. But it decides how much he has left at the end of the day, and so how comfortably he can pay you. That is why the September 2026 High Court ruling matters to owners too.

The short version

• In 2022, the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) published rules for ride-hailing platforms that, among other things, capped the commission they take from drivers at 18% of each trip.
• Bolt challenged the rules in court. In September 2026, the High Court found the cap had been introduced without a proper regulatory impact assessment or evidence that it was needed, and blocked its enforcement.
• The court did not throw out the regulations immediately. It suspended its declaration for 12 months, giving the government time to redo the process properly. If that does not happen, the contested rules lapse.
• Other rules stay in force in the meantime — safety standards and driver verification among them.

So, for now, commission is not capped at 18% in practice. That could change within the year.

How it reaches your till

Take one driver's good day on the road:

In that example, commission at 18% is KSh 900 of KSh 5,000 in fares. At 25%, the rate Uber charged before 2022, it would be KSh 1,250 — KSh 350 less for the driver that day, from the same work. The owner's daily amount did not change, so all of that comes out of what the driver keeps.

A few hundred shillings a day is the difference between a driver who meets the daily amount comfortably and one who starts falling short on slow days.

What owners can do

• Watch the balance, not just the payments. When drivers are squeezed, the first sign is rarely a missed day — it is a part-paid day, then another. Catching that the same evening is the difference between a conversation and a write-off.
• Talk before you raise or cut the daily amount. If the platforms' take goes up, ask your driver what his week actually looks like before assuming he is hiding money.
• Consider the category. Comfort and XXL fares are higher for the same distance. A car that qualifies can carry a higher daily amount.

Where this leaves drivers

Driver groups staged strikes in late 2025, demanding among other things that the 18% cap be enforced; the Ministry of Roads and Transport directed the platforms to review fares upward in response. The court ruling cuts the other way on the cap. Expect more change over the next year — which is one more reason to keep your agreement with your driver written down and your records clear.