An investigation into how politics, weak enforcement, and youth unemployment are driving Zambia’s expanding and largely illegal motorbike transport sector.
By MakanDay Centre for Investigative Journalism
Funeral after funeral, Zambia’s motorbike boom is leaving a trail of death, injury and unanswered questions.
Motorcycles, increasingly used as informal public transport despite legal restrictions, have become one of the fastest-growing features of Zambia’s roads. They are cheap, mobile, and, for thousands of unemployed young people, a source of daily income. But behind the promise of survival lies a deepening public safety crisis.
Road Transport and Safety Agency (RTSA) figures obtained by MakanDay show that motorcycle-related crashes rose from 1,428 in 2021 to 3,849 in 2025, while deaths increased from 112 to 484 over the same period — nearly one fatality every day.
These findings are the result of a three-month investigation by the MakanDay Centre for Investigative Journalism and its Local Reporting Network across several provinces. The investigation found that Zambia’s expanding motorbike transport sector is being driven by youth unemployment, weak enforcement, political visibility, and allegations of interference when authorities try to act.
In the run-up to the August 2026 elections, motorbike riders have become more than transport operators. They are increasingly visible at political meetings, campaign processions and empowerment programmes. Yet many continue to operate without licences, registration, insurance, helmets or formal passenger-transport authorisation.
What is presented as youth empowerment is also feeding a dangerous and largely illegal transport system. The costs are being carried by riders, passengers, families, hospitals and communities — while politicians court a growing constituency on two wheels.
Look out for the story on Monday, 18 May 2026, when MakanDay launches this two-part investigation.
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