Boda boda riders tasked to account for Emyooga funds
GULU CITY, May 7, 2025 – General Salim Saleh, the Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation [OWC], has called on Boda Boda SACCOs to provide a full account of the funds they received under the government’s Emyooga programme.
Speaking during the National Boda Boda Union Leadership Retreat held at Sacred Heart Secondary School in Gulu City on Wednesday, Gen. Saleh stressed the importance of financial transparency before any additional funds could be disbursed to the commercial riders in the country.
“We cannot continue to fund Emyooga SACCOs that cannot account for what they have already received. Accountability must come first before we consider giving more support,” Saleh stated.
The call for accountability followed an appeal by Frank Mawejje, Chairperson of the National Boda Boda Union, who decried long-standing government neglect of the sector.
Mawejje highlighted the challenges faced by riders, noting that the boda boda sector employs over 1.2 million people across Uganda.
He explained that riders are burdened by high operational costs, especially those who acquire motorcycles through financing schemes.
“Some companies charge as much as Shs 12 million for a bike that actually costs only Shs 5 million,” he said, adding that app-based riders in urban centres lose up to 15 percent of their earnings in platform commissions.
In response to Gen. Saleh’s demand for accountability, Fred Muwema, Legal Advisor to the Boda Boda Union, acknowledged that the sector was ill-prepared when the funds were first disbursed, following the launch of Emyooga programme in August 2019.
“The money was given to a sector that was not yet organised,” Muwema admitted. He further explained that many riders misunderstood the purpose of the funds, believing they were part of political campaign efforts, and therefore spent them on consumption rather than investment.
Muwema assured Gen. Saleh that the Union is now undertaking proper sensitisation to prevent future misuse of funds.
The Ugandan government is reported to have disbursed Shs 9.5 billion to boda boda SACCOs under the Emyooga initiative, a programme aimed at promoting job and wealth creation through organised savings and credit groups of boda boda riders, welders, plumbers, salonists, carpenters, restaurant owners, and journalists among other categories.
https://thecooperator.news/museveni-to-set-up-boda-boda-loan-schemes/
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