Boda boda rider commits suicide over UGX 250,000 loan

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A boda-boda rider in Namugongo has committed suicide over his inability to pay 255,000 Shillings as part of his motorcycle loan.

Neighbors on Tuesday morning found the lifeless body of Alex Nuwagaba, 33, outside his rental house in Namugongo within Kira municipality.

One of the relatives of the deceased told Kira police detectives that Nuwagaba was restless for several days, lamenting about his inability to clear his loan and his loaning company identified as Boda-Banja located in Ntinda was not giving him any breathing space other than impounding the motorcycle.

According to Bosco Buziba, Chairperson Boda Boda riders in Kira municipality, says apart from the pressure from the motorcycle loaning company, the 33-year-old rider who was part of Namugongo-Njanda stage, near the Catholic shrine had other family-related issues.

Buziba added: “He was having other problems of his landlord who was chasing him out of the house after spending four months without paying rent. But also another issue he once told me about was related to three girlfriends who were each alleging to be pregnant for him. And everyone wanted marriage before giving birth.”

Buziba explains that Nuwagaba got the motorcycle reg. no UFL 512M through his friend only identified as Herbert, who had a national identification card, and it’s Herbert who had been clearing the loan per week, however, for the last three weeks his friend decided to eat the money, prompting the company to impound the motorcycle.

He added: “Herbert was not paying the weekly agreed part of the loan to the company for the last three months and the money amounted to 255,000 Shillings which made the company recover the motorcycle. He did not leave any message behind, but we know that was the problem of ending his life.”

His close friend Bruham Kateregga, said that the situation was unfortunate because the deceased was working and had to clear the motorcycle, only to be disappointed by his friend.

But Buziba said that the motorcycle loaning company was unfair to seize the motorcycle, after skipping only three months in paying part of the loan, yet he had paid the previous four months well.

Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson Patrick Onyango said the deceased body was picked by the Kira-Division police and taken to the city mortuary Mulago for the postmortem report.

A report by Ministry of Health, Uganda National Institute Public Health-UNIPH Quarterly Epidemiological Bulletin, indicates that Uganda has a high suicide rate with men at a higher risk than women.

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