I just received a press release that Uber is finally launching in Mombasa today as its second city in Kenya. Uber has been operating more or less exclusively in Nairobi and its environs for the past year or so making this a much needed move to expand their market presence in Kenya.

Easy Taxi, Uber’s major competitor in Kenya has already had a presence in Mombasa and Nakuru for months so in some ways Uber is playing catch up? That being said, it goes without saying that since Uber launched in Kenya they may(?) have overtaken Easy Taxi and are fast disrupting taxi services as we know them in the country.

Mombasa seems like an obviously good fit for Uber given that its a major commercial and tourism hub, as well as Kenya’s second largest city. What remains to be seen is whether will venture to other major cities in Kenya like Kisumu and Nakuru in the near future.

Going forward, Uber looks set to become the dominant taxi hailing mobile app as customers and drivers sign up in droves. It does not hurt that Uber’s success in Kenya has become a bone of contention for traditional taxi drivers and companies who have seen their business massively eroded as customers shift to the mobile-based service. In addition, the backlash has seen Uber drivers being attacked and their cars vandalised over the last few months.

UPDATE:

Uber is offering 6 days of free rides as part of its launch in Mombasa as follows:

• Free rides from Wednesday, 23 March at 07:00 to Monday, 28 March 2016 at 00:00
• Free trips are limited to a maximum of 5 rides per rider
• Each trip is limited to a maximum of KES 1500

Note that free rides are only valid for trips that start & end in the Mombasa coverage area (for example, Moi International Airport, Nyali, Inter-Nyali)