By Hassan I. Conteh

The price per a motor tri-cycle, (keke), has leapfrogged double times in recent years shockingly than the human thinking could imagine.

Each of the predominately India and China made motor tri-cycles was sold around 12, 14 and 15 million leones in the years before power changed hands in Sierra Leone. But five years after the price for each cycle now equals to the cost of a brand new car sold in Sierra Leone by 2017-18.

Speaking to a motor cyclist, Mohamed Sheriff, said they’d wanted to purchase either a Bajaj or TVS motor tri-cycle brand but had to wait a day to do further enquiries since the prices on them are considerably high.

“My boss had told me to wait until when we should go to Freetown to ask further,” says Mohamed.

“The sales manager at a shop in Waterloo told us he is selling the keke at a final price of Le 67 million.”

Since prices have continued to rise up unstoppably on motor tri-cycles in Sierra Leone, Mohamed says, commercial cyclists are paying up upfront by bits to afford the motor cycles.

“Most riders pay Le 20 million at a start, but they would need to pay overboard than the selling price on the market which stands around Le 70m,” he said.

It means, in that way, a keke will cost a rider about Le 100 million if he decides to pay up in tranches.

In Sierra Leone, inflation and unstable foreign currency are twin cancers that are hitting-hard economic activities and businesses in the country.

Since decades now, bike and motor riding have become the primary source of income for thousands and thousands of youthful Sierra Leoneans.

But as the economic twin-cancers (inflation and currency instability), disturb people’s livelihoods and businesses, the continuous rises on the cost of petroleum products on a litre is adding up to Sierra Leoneans’ frustrations almost on a daily basis.

The current hike on fuel per litre from Le 25 to Le 30 will cause prices on all goods including ‘kekes’ to further shot up dramatically.

The latest addition on the price of a litre was effected on August 29, 2023 to Le 30 by the country’s petroleum regulatory body.

As the price on fuel substance increases yesterday when also the price per motor tri-cycle was at Le 70,000,000 (seventy million Leone), the cost is now expected to double up, likewise.

Mohamed and his boss will now have to pocket extra money before meeting any of these India nationals to get home with the tri-cycle they had previously negotiated for.