Okay so why then is there no difference between the Chief Justice’s convoy and boda-bodas

This column’s very first entry three years ago was about Swaib, my Boda guy. Among other things, I hoped that with every submission, the needle for him and his peers would be moved along. Has that happened? Hard to tell. From the look of it, there doesn’t seem to be much upward progression.

Your average boda guy epitomizes what it means to be Ugandan. You hustle through awkward hours, pay your taxes, live through unfulfilled dreams, often get angry at your government for – like a deadbeat father – not meeting its end of the bargain on anything, and generally, exist on the periphery of possibilities.

If you are lucky, crack a deal here or there and bring in some money to offset a major headache and then promptly go back to how things have always been. Between that, you straddle the thin line between your value and worthlessness. And of course, because you don’t have any safety nets, only God’s grace – or whatever deity you subscribe to – stands between you and ruin.

This week, the Uganda Police shared a 2 minutes video compilation of Boda accidents along Kampala’s roads. It is by no means exhaustive. Only those within range of the CCTV cameras made the cut. Since we can name the camera locations off the top of our heads, go on and imagine the magnitude of what doesn’t make it to the screen.

There are no words to describe events in the video. Expletives are most appropriate but because this column is also read by minors, the ultra-religious, and my in-laws, let us not. But, what the actual fudge! It is no wonder that the national referral hospital in Mulago has a ward dedicated to Boda Boda accidents.

Because what the actual fudge! The video is like a prelude to what is likely to happen to you if you use Bodas, and justifiably, has stirred quite the debate, including from Parliament, where we have come to expect little good.  With it, the Police, inclined to knee-jerk reactions, have also announced a crackdown.

There are likely going to be one or two muppets suggesting a ban but that has as much chance of happening as Museveni willingly vacating the presidency. Forget it.

It is evident from the video that Bodas, like drunkards, are a danger to themselves. They are a law unto themselves, operating with no respect for traffic rules, holding no regard or consideration for other road users, and inexplicably, prone to leading themselves and their passengers into harm’s way at every turn.

But that is something you are also likely to see with government and security cars, private citizens with some level of access and privilege – under the influence or not.

Ergo, the problem is not just a Boda-Boda problem – even if we know that half the time, they will ride themselves into the abyss. The problem is the enforcement of the law with a Boda-Boda mentality. Sporadically, selectively, erratically, and irrationally. The first thing we have got to come to terms with is that we are unable to do away with Bodas – exactly because we enable factors that make sure of that.

There are no jobs for young people – educated or not, and no merit-based system for people to advance upwards. Whatever economic activities exist for nationals don’t offer anything worthwhile for anybody outside of a certain income and social bracket. The import tax assessment on the importation of vehicles is shrouded in a very exorbitant mystery. And what we like to call a public transport system is a joke that is anything but funny. They will only increase, for these exact reasons.

Bodas, therefore, are like a pain killer that gives you temporary relief but only so that you can delay your inevitable meeting with the creator. And because we are incapable of healing “Patient Uganda” using the same doctors and drugs we are currently administering, it is only fair that at the very least, we get the basics of patient management right.

First, apply the traffic laws fairly and equally across the board. Take away Bodas without changing a thing and our roads would still be as deadly. They see how we drive our cars and how we disregard basic compliance or are incapable of self-regulation. They see us get away with it. Why should they comply?

Mr Benjamin Rukwengye is the founder, Boundless Minds. @Rukwengye