Urgent need to curb boda boda menace

The wheels of death”, was the headline of our Thursday, October 17 lead story. One can be forgiven for thinking this headline is an exaggeration but numbers don’t lie and the latest statistics show that the number of people who died in traffic incidents in Uganda rose by more than 10 percent in the past decade and that nearly 45 percent of deaths caused by road accidents in 2023 are attributed to motorcycles.

The menace that is created by boda boda riders, especially in Kampala, who blatantly refuse to observe road rules and respect other road users is common knowledge. 

An issue that we unfortunately seem to have resigned ourselves to and this is not for lack of trying to rein them in.

Even if every once in a while, one may chance upon a law abiding one, most boda boda riders go by rules of their own; many have no business being on the road as riders as evidenced by their lack of permit to show any form of formal training, getting them to wear helmets is a challenge. 

To them, respecting traffic lights is a fool’s errand and riding on the ride side of the road is a waste of time, cautiousness is a myth. 

To add to this list of undesirables is the fact that some take to consuming intoxicants such as alcohol and illicit drugs and then getting on the road, not to mention the speed demon that they can’t seem to shake off. 

Yes there have been operations by traffic police to apprehend unlicensed, reckless riders or those without helmets and other such effects but even this is seasonal and doesn’t offer an effective and permanent solution.

It is also unfortunate that the importance of boda bodas in our traffic jam-laden transport system can’t be downplayed or easily done away with or that this is a form of employment for many youth. 

It is clear, therefore, that ridding our transport system of boda bodas as some suggest is ridiculously mythical and out of touch with reality. 

We must then make this sector work not against us as a country but for us. No one should evade the law in any form. 

Strict adherence to road rules and regulations must be observed. But all this is impossible if there is no political will. 

All stakeholders must pull their weight on this one if we are going to see any semblance of organistion and safety in the currently mainly infamous boda boda sector. 

The reason such statistics are published is so that we can plan accordingly to change the status quo, not so that we can have a collective sigh of exasperation and hope to God that we don’t become the next victims of these wheels of death.