From 147-second deliveries to KSh. 109k orders a 2025 report unveils Kenya’s 2025 cravings.
Cravings say a lot about a country, that’s according to a report released by Uber Eats detailing how Kenyans ordered food, drinks and groceries in 2025.
Some of the highlights mentioned in the report include “fried chicken loyalists” who ordered from a specific part of the menu, “poetic special-request writers, and a customer who said “NO CHEESE” 24 times in one order.”
Beyond the hilarious, the report also highlights a trend in how Kenyans purchase and consume.
“Kenyans increasingly rely on platforms like Uber and Uber Eats to save time, access local businesses, and create small moments that make every day easier,” the report reads in part. “In fact, Kenyan Uber Eats users save more than 448,000 hours a year by having meals and essentials delivered to their door, freeing up time for work, family, and life’s real priorities.”
Economically, couriers are a critical part of this story.
Drivers and delivery partners earned KSh 2.2 billion through flexible work on Uber’s platforms, with the value of flexibility itself estimated at KSh 1.6 billion to their livelihoods.
“These insights show just how deeply Uber Eats is woven into everyday life in Kenya,” says
Kui Mbugua, General Manager, Uber Eats Kenya. “Every order supports a courier, strengthens a local business, and brings more convenience and choice to customers. This is the food economy Kenya is building, and we’re proud to be part of it.”
Here’s what Kenyans craved in 2025.
Food Fanatics
● Fried Chicken Forever: Chicken reigns unchallenged as Kenya’s unofficial national craving. It was the most-searched item on Uber Eats, with tens of thousands of searches, with one store catering to over 100 orders a day.
● Pizza Power: Whether for movie nights, post-exam celebrations, or late-night hunger, pizza held onto its spot as Kenya’s second-most searched food.
● Grocery on the Rise: From cooking oil and tomatoes to last-minute spaghetti emergencies, grocery delivery became a reliable household hack. One customer even had a 5-litre bottle of oil delivered in just 150 seconds.
● The Big Spenders: One customer placed a premium drinks order worth KSh. 109,000, complete with high-end wines. Another went big with a KSh. 102,134 fast-food feast of nearly 20 burgers and sides. And then came the romantic, a “Lover’s Marathon” order costing KES 80,400.
The Super Users
● The Everyday Eater: Kenya’s top eater placed 718 orders this year, averaging nearly two a day. At this point, their courier might greet them by name.
● The High Roller: Another customer took a quality-over-quantity approach, placing fewer orders but spending more than KSh. 1.8 million in a year in total. Now that is a dedication to cravings!
● The Perfect Pair: One courier and one customer were matched 59 times across 12 eateries. At this point, they are family
Delivery Legends
● The Marathoner: One courier rode 54,961 kilometres this year, more than the distance around the Earth.
● The Machine: Another courier completed 6,866 trips, a true Uber Eats delivery champion, keeping the country fed, one meal at a time.
● Fast and Furious: The fastest delivery clocked in at 147 seconds. That’s just enough time to reheat your leftovers from yesterday.
Special requests that stole the show
● The Dairy Protest: One determined user typed “NO CHEESE!!!” over 24 times. Message received.
● The Lovers and the Poets: Some Kenyans turned order notes into love letters. One message praised their partner’s strength. Another thanked the restaurant staff for working a holiday shift… but still wanted extra cheese.
● Kindness by the Plate: Kenyan customers sprinkled positivity across order notes, with Nairobi leading the country in “please” and “thank you,” followed by Kisumu and Mombasa.
