Brace for travel chaos as Boda Boda crackdown starts

A police officer attempts to arrest an errant motorist who broke traffic rules in Kampala in 2016. PHOTO/FILE

What you need to know:

  • The police action follows a CCTV footage they released last week highlighting graphic details of accidents involving boda boda cyclists.
  • Ms Hellen Namwase, another boda boda passenger, agreed with the police move to regulate them, saying this will save lives.

The police have announced an operation to crack down errant boda boda riders beginning next week.
The police action follows a CCTV footage they released last week highlighting graphic details of accidents involving boda boda cyclists.

“It has come to our notice that motorcycles have become a menace on the roads. Each time accidents happen, four of them involve motorcycles and a lot of people are dying,” Ms Farida Nampiima, the spokesperson of the Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety, said  yesterday.
She added: “As police, we have come out to launch the festive season operations, in which we are going to target motorcycles starting on Monday, November 7.”

Boda bodas have been deemed as the biggest cause of accidents in the country, with data from the police revealing that four people die in boda boda accidents every day.
“During the operations, we shall be looking out for those who have refused to wear helmets, reflective jackets and those without driving permits. We will also arrest those whose motorcycles are in bad mechanical condition and those carrying more than one passenger,” Ms Nampiima said. 

Quoting the Regulation of Motorcycles 2016, she emphasised that every person riding a motorcycle must wear a reflective jacket at all times. She said cyclists ride carelessly on the road and do not respect the traffic lights.
“They also don’t obey any traffic signs on the road and they don’t comply with any regulations on the road. Offenders should prepare for the worst, which is why we are passing out the communication early,” she warned.
Passengers welcomed the crackdown and accused cyclists of being a menace on the road.

 “I was involved in a severe boda boda accident in August this year and sustained a fractured thigh. I have been in so much pain and I am still walking on crutches. I missed out on my final exams at campus because I could not walk. I totally agree with the police move to take action against reckless boda boda riders,” Ms Specioza Kajumba, a resident of Kira said.
Another passenger identified as Annet Nabbanja said: “Police should take harsh action against boda boda riders. I have suffered at their hands and yet we pay a lot of money to them compared to taxi drivers. Many people have lost lives due to their reckless driving because they don’t follow traffic rules.”

Ms Hellen Namwase, another boda boda passenger, agreed with the police move to regulate them, saying this will save lives.
Mr Umar Isabirye Babalanda, the head of the Boda Boda Industry of Uganda, an association that unites boda boda riders, said they have held discussions with the Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety, and have agreed on what police should look out for during the operations.