Weeks after issuing a one-month ultimatum to remove truck drivers from the town centre, Nebbi Municipal Council has turned its attention to boda boda riders, ordering them to vacate streets and operate only from gazetted stages.
The directive follows complaints that some riders have turned sections of Pithua Road, Oringi Road and pavements near the main market into informal parking areas, causing congestion and safety concerns.
Municipal officials said X-Corner alone recorded more than three accidents last month, partly linked to motorcycles being parked along road shoulders and narrowing the available carriageway.
The council says the move is part of a wider town decongestion campaign that began with the eviction of truck drivers from the central business district last month.
Howard Musa, the Deputy Mayor and Leader of Council Business, said the authority will no longer allow boda boda riders to operate from undesignated locations.
“We gave them stages, but some of them have still refused to use them. Now it is either they join the stages or they leave the streets. We shall impound motorcycles found on the road,” Musa said.
He clarified that the directive was not intended as a fight against boda boda riders but rather an effort to organise the town and improve road safety.
“This is not a war on boda boda riders. We are only organising the town. You either join a nearby stage in case yours is not gazetted or risk losing your motorcycle,” Musa warned.
Musa said some residents and traders have a tendency of resisting municipal directives, but urged boda boda riders to learn from the recent eviction of kiosk owners from the town centre.
The previous evictions affected many small business operators who relied on roadside kiosks for daily income. While some have turned to farming, others have struggled to find alternative sources of livelihood.
However, council officials insist that the measures are necessary to restore order, reduce congestion and ensure boda boda operations are regulated.
Collins Agenonga, a boda boda rider and Chairman of X-Corner Stage, said forcing riders away from the streets would significantly affect their earnings.
“Most of our customers pick us from the streets. If we are all forced to the stages, many of us will sit idle and fail to get money for food,” Agenonga said.
He said business has already declined following the eviction of kiosk owners, who were among their major customers.
“Business is very slow these days. Previously, we would make between Shs30,000 and Shs40,000 daily on a good day, before the eviction of kiosk owners. But now we cannot even make Shs15,000 daily,” he said.
Agenonga added that many riders are struggling with motorcycle loan repayments, with some operating hired motorcycles and required to remit daily payments.
He said riders who use borrowed motorcycles are expected to pay about Shs15,000 daily, while those who acquired motorcycles through loans are required to pay approximately Shs80,000 weekly to financial institutions.
He also raised concern over the cost of joining gazetted stages, saying some require between Shs200,000 and Shs300,000 in registration fees.
“These stages are already congested, with some having more than 20 members. Where can we get that money for registration alone?” the riders asked.
Nebbi town currently has fewer than five gazetted boda boda stages in the central business district, including X-Corner Stage, Pithua Road Stage, Nebbi General Hospital Boda Boda Stage along the Nebbi-Paidha Road and High Corner Stage along the Nebbi-Pakwach Road.
However, with an estimated 500 boda boda riders operating in the town, council officials acknowledge that existing stages are overwhelmed, forcing some riders to operate from undesignated areas.
The eviction of boda boda riders from streets marks the third phase of Nebbi Municipal Council’s decongestion campaign, following the removal of kiosk owners and truck drivers from the town centre last month.