Commuting hell in DR Congo’s capital

In a mega-hub of 13 million, the ride to work is a battle with choked, pot-holed streets and jam-packed buses, yellow taxis and motorbikes, to the backdrop of blaring horns, pollution, hawkers and accidents. In short, a transport hell… and in a sauna-like heat.

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byAbdulateef Ahmed

September 7, 2025

Commuters inside a mini bus react as they pass by a group of Supporters of the Democratic Republic of Congo's Union for Democracy and Social Progress (Union pour la Democratie et le Progres Social - UDPS) gathering in Kinshasa, on December 21, 2018 outside the party headquarter waiting for a declaration of their leader Felix Tshisekedi. - DR Congo's troubled journey to elect a successor to the incumbent president hit a fresh snag on December 20, 2018 three days before voting, as electoral supervisors ordered a week-long postponement after a fire destroyed polling equipment. (Photo by MARCO LONGARI / AFP)

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Abdulateef Ahmed

Abdulateef Ahmed, Digital News Editor and; Research Lead, is a self-driven researcher with exceptional editorial skills. He's a literary bon vivant keenly interested in green energy, food systems, mining, macroeconomics, big data, African political economy, and aviation..