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Boda boda riders petition Parliament over curfew
Boda bodas on Jinja Road in Kampala. A new report on improving road safety in Uganda has revealed that at least 89 percent of boda boda riders in Kampala City do not have driving permits. PHOTO / DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Speaking to journalists in Kampala yesterday, the manager of corporate affairs and communications at Tugende Boda boda, Mr Charles Mwanguhya, said there are about 1. 4 million Ugandans who derive their livelihood from boda bodas.
Boda boda cyclists under their umbrella body, E- Traders Association have petitioned Parliament, requesting President Museveni to review the 7pm curfew.
During his address on December 31 last year, Mr Museveni ended the lockdown, but maintained curfew for boda bodas.
Speaking to journalists in Kampala yesterday, the manager of corporate affairs and communications at Tugende Boda boda, Mr Charles Mwanguhya, said there are about 1. 4 million Ugandans who derive their livelihood from boda bodas.
“How do you open the night economy and leave out the means supposed to deliver the people participating in the night economy safely?” he wondered.
“As an association, we have been willing to work with government and support it, especially on security because in many cases, boda bodas are victims of crime,” he said.
Mr Ricky Rapa Thomson, the the co-founder and director of SafeBoda, appealed to more Ugandans to sign the petition.
He said since they launched the online petition [change.org], many have responded.
“Since we petitioned online, the government’s position remained disappointingly silent even when there has been considerable engagements with the boda fraternity on this issue. That is why we have resorted to Parliament ,” he said.
However, the head of communications and public relations at Ministry of Works and Transport Ms Suzan Kataike, said Mr Museveni is the one to resolve the issue.
“We are still waiting for the President to guide on that because in his last address, he said he will continue to look at it with the advice from the scientists to see what is better for Ugandans,” she said.
