Boda boda riders call for revival of trainings

Training will address the discipline of riders and also streamline the boda boda industry

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Boda boda riders in Kampala city are calling for the revival of trainings to professionalize the boda boda industry.

The riders who are attending a training on safety by Safe Way Right Way, note that they have been infiltrated by wrong elements and the authorities are not doing much to streamline the industry.

Kanyike Kiviri, the acting chairman of over 30 boda boda factions in Kampala says that enforcement is largely marred by corruption and yet when new regulations are formulated, they are never popularized by the authorities.

According to Kiviri, when officials go for bench-marking trips to study best practices in other countries, the riders are never briefed about the outcomes.

He says the training will address the discipline of riders and also streamline the boda boda industry which is currently disorganized.

Kiviri says that boda boda riders were last trained by the Uganda Police and the then Kampala City Council administration. He adds that focus should also be on putting in place guidelines that will ensure order and sanity in the sector. The guidelines he says should require all riders to have helmets, driving permits and respect traffic rules.

Rogers Kawuma Nsereko, the Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Traffic Police Commander said that the police was devising plans of reviving the trainings, but this was affected by the COVID-19 lockdown.

Nsereko says that most of the accidents in Kampala are as a result of recklessness of the boda boda riders.

Paul Kwamusi, a consultant on road safety who was conducting the training said one of the important modules that they will be teaching riders on is safety and understanding Uganda’s helmet standard policy.

Richard Senabulya who has been appointed head of security of the new group of 32 boda boda factions in Kampala says they have already started the process of collecting views from members on how to improve the industry which will form part of their planned constitution.

He says among the suggestions so far received is the idea of having traffic wardens among the cyclists to address recklessness on the road and disrespect for traffic rules.

Last year, KCCA and the Ministry of Works and Transport asked boda boda riders to register as part of government efforts to streamline the business. The plan was to register them, allocate stages and get a unifying leadership. However, registration is yet to start.

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