Kano Women Launch Female-Only Keke Service (Mata Zalla Keke)

Kano – Women in Kano State have taken the transportation sector by storm with the introduction of ‘Mata Zalla‘, a groundbreaking tricycle service designed exclusively for female passengers and operated by trained female drivers.

The initiative, which translates to ‘exclusively women‘ in Hausa, not only provides safer and more comfortable rides in line with the state’s conservative cultural values but also creates vital employment opportunities in what has traditionally been a male-dominated industry.

As previously reported by NaijaChoice News, the challenges faced by women in mixed-gender commercial transport have long been a concern in Kano, prompting innovative solutions like this one that align with Sharia law principles and Hisbah guidelines on gender segregation.

Under the Mata Zalla model, female drivers handle pink electric tricycles that pick up only women passengers, while men continue operating separate services for male riders. The service stands out with lower fares than regular keke to encourage greater patronage among women on selected routes across the city.

Co-founded by Hauwa Ahmad Tarauni as a women’s cooperative, the project started with around 100 female drivers – many of them widows and divorcees – with a waiting list of 200 more. Drivers receive proper training at the city’s vehicle inspection office and follow a unique ownership model: part of their daily earnings is deducted over three years to help them own the electric rickshaws outright. The fleet is supported by two solar-powered charging stations and a smartphone app for monitoring.

Hauwa Ahmad Tarauni explained the vision behind the move: “We thought that this is a lucrative business which women were not benefiting from and had been left for men.” She added that the service tackles vulnerabilities in mixed transport, where “a man can get too close to a woman, abuse her over small things or the operators… quarrelling with female passengers.”

One driver, Umma Hani Yusuf Khalid, who left selling footwear to join the initiative, stressed the strength required for the job: “As a female rickshaw operator, you need to be strong because you made the resolve to go through all kinds of challenges… just remain composed behind the wheel.”

Passengers are already singing its praises. Sarah Abner, a 32-year-old pregnant rider, said she prefers Mata Zalla “because she is a woman like myself and it is not good for the woman to take a keke with a man inside.”

The pink electric tricycles are easily spotted from afar, making the women-only service instantly recognisable in Kano’s busy streets, where conventional yellow petrol-powered keke Napep – numbering around 60,000 – have long been run exclusively by men.

Rep9ja first spotlighted the launch, noting how it promotes economic empowerment by training women in a male-dominated field while addressing cultural concerns. Organisers are already applying for more loans and partnering with an electric rickshaw assembly plant in Lagos to scale up, describing the current 100 vehicles as “just a drop in the sea” given Kano’s huge transportation demand.

This is more than just another keke service – it is a powerful statement of women’s resilience, financial independence, and determination to create safe spaces for themselves in northern Nigeria. Mata Zalla is already changing lives and setting a new standard for inclusive transport in conservative Kano.

The women behind Mata Zalla have shown that when given the chance, they can drive not just tricycles but real progress in their communities.