Uber Offers 70% Ride Discounts in Kenya as Sporting Season Drives Demand Surge

Uber is rolling out steep fare discounts for riders in Kenya as Nairobi enters a peak international sporting season that includes the HSBC SVNS and the Magical Kenya Open.

The San Francisco–based ride-hailing company said Thursday it will offer new users 70% off their first five trips, capped at 400 Kenyan shillings ($2.60) per ride, in a promotion running through the end of May. The discounts apply across all Uber products and are designed to ease transport bottlenecks during periods of surging demand tied to large-scale events.

The HSBC SVNS tournament is expected to draw thousands of local and international fans to Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, driving concentrated traffic flows between residential neighborhoods, hospitality districts and the stadium precinct. The Magical Kenya Open, one of the region’s premier golf events, is also forecast to increase traffic along airport routes, hotel corridors and key tourism zones as players, officials and spectators arrive in the capital.

“Large-scale events like HSBC SVNS bring incredible energy to Nairobi and also create unique mobility needs across the city,” Imran Manji, Uber’s General Manager and Head of East Africa, said in a statement. The company aims to help riders travel “reliably and affordably” while enabling drivers to benefit from higher demand during peak weekends, he added.

In addition to the broad-based promotion for new users, Uber said it has issued targeted discounts to existing riders attending the rugby tournament via direct in-app communications.

Major sporting events typically trigger sharp but short-lived spikes in ride requests, particularly before and after match windows. Such surges can lead to higher fares under dynamic pricing models, creating friction for price-sensitive users while boosting driver earnings. By subsidizing fares, Uber appears to be balancing customer acquisition and retention goals against the operational challenges of demand volatility.

Kenya has positioned itself as a regional hub for global sporting and tourism events, betting that high-profile tournaments will stimulate hospitality, transport and ancillary services. For ride-hailing platforms, these events offer both a stress test of network capacity and an opportunity to expand market share in a competitive urban mobility landscape.

Uber did not disclose the financial cost of the promotion or provide projections for rider growth during the campaign period.