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The ninth edition of the Oxford Dictionary has accepted a commonly used word in most Kenyan streets - 'Boda boda' - as an English terminology.
In the dictionary, the word Boda Boda falls under Noun category and defines it as "a type of motorcycle or bicycle with a space for carrying goods, often used as a taxi.”
Only a few know where the word Boda Boda originated from. It is believed that the word originated from English words shouted by drivers then at the Kenyan-Uganda border, where bicycle riders would shout, ‘border, border’, to inform travelers that the vehicle was headed to the border.
The word was born in Busia, Kenya where bicycle riders ferried people from different areas in the county to the market in Busia town.
People would avoid using Matatus as the preferred form of public transport, because they were costly or very few were available on the roads.
The word would then be adopted by those using bicycles to ferry people to the border town of Busia.
The dictionary however, did not cite an example from Busia, Kenya but instead cited an example from Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.