Gov’t Ban Boda-Boda Stages at Banks, Hospitals & Schools

The government has said that under the new regulation rules for Boda Bodas within the city center, all stages operating near Hospitals, Banks, Petrol stations, Schools, Police stations, and electricity transformers are to be abolished.

Rubaga Deputy City Resident Commissioner (RCC) Herbert Anderson Buroro said that the cyclists operating in these areas are to be gazetted to other areas citing that they infringe on the privacy of the users and also put the security of the named areas at stake.

Burora said this while he pointed out the plan on intensifying proper working conditions of boda Bodas among which will include Boda registration, training cyclists as well as issuing out identification clothing.

“Boda Boda riders are not easily identified from other people who use motorcycles hence the need for registration and branding to weed out the criminals,” he said.

He, however, urged political leaders not to use the initiative to gain cheap political capital saying that the improper functioning of Boda Bodas in Kampala affected every Ugandan.

Meanwhile, the move by the government to regulate the Boda boda business has attracted mixed reactions amongst cyclists.

Sam Alitwala, a Boda Boda cyclist at the case hospital stage condemned the move by the government to abolish some stages saying that some of these stages are registered by KCCA and have been operational for more than 10 years.

“We for example transport caretakers of the sick and some doctors, abolishing stages of this kind will cripple the works of some institutions which benefit from us,” he said.

David Gama, a Boda Boda rider on the Nilestar stage on Bombo road, however, welcomed the initiative by the government to regulate Boda Bodas urging that it will eliminate the criminality of the industry.

Over the years Boda Boda cyclists have been at loggerheads with KCCA and Police where several Boda Bodas in Kampala keep being impounded over violating guidelines.

Meanwhile, on July 1st, KCCA issued a directive to have Boda Bodas in Kampala that is defiant to guidelines to get impounded after the six months registration grace period elapsed.

As of July 1, 4000 Boda Boda riders had registered and currently, there are over 20,000 of them that have complied and registered as required by the ministry of works and transport.