"Only registered boda bodas to operate in Kampala," RCC says
The Kampala Resident City Commissioner (RCC) Hudu Hussein has said that no motorcycle rider will be allowed to operate in the city when they are not registered with the ministry of Works and Transport.
Speaking to journalists at the Uganda Media Centre on Tuesday, Hussein said this issue is still under review on an administrative and technical level but once complete, all riders who will fail to comply will have to vacate the city.
“Each boda boda rider operating in Kampala and its metropolitan areas must be registered and this has commenced already at division level,” Hussein said.
The RCC called upon all riders to make sure that they register in their respective divisions to have themselves identified numbers and avoid the dire consequences of being banned from operating in Kampala.
“They will have to belong to one stage, alone, and given a particular reflector jacket colour which shall be coded with a QR code with a database kept for identification,” he added.
Hussein said that no boda boda rider will be allowed to operate without an approved reflector jacket with a QR code approved by the Ministry of Works.
According to the RCC, the registration process and subsequent issuing of stage numbers is aimed at ironing out criminality and congestion in the city.
He said that this is the plan of President Museveni, who has in previous speeches, pointed out on how criminals use boda boda’s to commit crime.
During the first Covid-19 induced lockdown in July 2020, KCCA revealed a list of 579 stages that cabinet had approved for Boda Bodas in the five divisions of Kampala.
According to the list, Rubaga Division was allocated 179 stages, Nakawa 146, Makindye 136, Kawempe 89, and Central division 32 stages.
KCCA said at the time that the central division was allocated the least number of stages because the government wanted to implement a Boda Boda free zone.
The Boda Boda free zone would run along boundaries of Wampewo Roundabout- Jinja Road to Kitgum House junction – Access Road – Mukwano Road to Clock Tower –Kafumbe Mukasa Road –Kisenyi Road –Mackay Road- Kyaggwe Road- Watoto Church-Bombo Road – Wandegeya – Hajji Musa Kasule Road- Mulago roundabout- Kamwokya junction – Sturrock Road – Prince Charles Drive- Lugogo Bypass–Jinja Road- Wampewo Roundabout.
The plan was abandoned following complaints that several stages had been left out. Government then opted to have all riders registered before issuing stages.
Boda riders want to negotiate
Speaking to NBS TV earlier this week, Siraje Mutyaba, the Chairman of Boda Boda Industry Uganda, an umbrella association of Boda Boda riders said that they have started mobilising their members to plan and have talks with the government.
