A plate of Chicken /JACKTONE LAWIFried chicken whetted the appetites of most of Kenya's 2025 online food shoppers, raking in hundreds of thousands of searches on delivery platforms.
The revelation is contained in the inaugural 2025 Kenya Cravings Report, by Uber Eats that maps the foods, habits and sometimes peculiar requests that defined how a busy, specific and convenience-powered nation ate this year.
The data shows that fried chicken wasn’t just the most-searched item, with tens of thousands of queries, it also powered the platform’s busiest single store, which served over 100 meals daily.
Pizza held strong as the second-most-searched food, a go-to for celebrations, movie nights, and late-night cravings.
Grocery deliveries also surged, with Kenyans turning to the platform for everything from tomatoes to emergency spaghetti runs. One user even had a five-litre bottle of cooking oil delivered in just 150 seconds.
Uber Eats Kenya General Manager Kui Mbugua, noted that increased demand of food deliveries generated Sh534 million in additional revenue for restaurants in 2023, helping small and medium businesses expand their reach.
“These insights show just how deeply Uber Eats is woven into everyday life in 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,” said Mbugua.
Kenya’s biggest spenders also stood out. One customer placed premium drinks order worth Sh109,000, another spent Sh102,134 on nearly 20 burgers and sides, and one placed an Sh80,400 “lover’s marathon” order.
The platform’s data highlights extreme users on both sides. Kenya’s top eater made 718 orders in a single year, almost two a day, while another customer spent more than Sh1.8 million on fewer, high-value orders.
One courier and customer were paired 59 times, turning deliveries into something of a routine relationship.
Couriers, meanwhile, shouldered the weight of the cravings economy. One rode 54,961 kilometres, more than a full lap around the Earth and another completed 6,866 trips in the year. The fastest delivery was completed in 147 seconds.
Nairobi topped the list for politeness, followed
by Kisumu and Mombasa. The findings also underline the growing reliance on
delivery platforms.
Earlier data from Uber’s 2023 Economic Impact Report showed Kenyan users collectively saved more than 448,000 hours by ordering food and essentials instead of picking them up themselves.
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