Mbarara City: Plans to register boda-boda riders in high gear
MBARARA-Authorities in Mbarara City plan to launch the process of registering boda-boda riders as one way of bringing order in the city, especially as the Christmas season sets in.
Richard Mugisha, deputy city clerk says they will begin gazetting stages for boda-bodas, which would help in curbing the disorderliness of the riders.
“Definitely it is important that we discuss the issue of transport industry in general, especially to avoid cases of traffic jam in the city, theft, and disorganisation on the side of the riders,” he said.
He said the exercise had started sometime back but the bod-boda riders lacked proper leadership, which now will have to be in place before the exercise begins.
“We already have boda-boda stages which passed through organs of the city council but we realised the boda-boda group did not have credible leadership,” he said.
Mugisha made the remarks this week during an interview with theCooperator at Igongo Cultural Centre in Mbarara City.
Recently in the entire country, boda-boda riders have been cited in crimes such as urban terrorism, robbery, and murder, which Mugisha said, must be dealt with.
“We shall sit with the substantive leadership, share with them our plans in terms of gazetting boda-boda operating areas,” he said.
However, he sympathised with boda-boda riders who are targeted by criminals, especially during the night hours.
“Boda-boda riders are largely victims of wrongdoers who come to steal their motorcycles. The thieves disguise as genuine passengers but end up killing the riders along the way,” he said, adding that boda- boda riders are important in addressing insecurity in the city.
Mugisha said securing and bringing order in the city would also target street vendors, tax parks, and bus parks to create an enabling environment for business.
It is not only boda-boda riders who are the source of disorder in the city. So we are looking at a general problem,” he explained.
Mugisha said: “Come December we shall have order in as far the operations of boda-boda riders is concerned.”
“You know a city is a system and part of the system is the security component. The fact that we are members of the city security committee, we shall implement decisions that bring order,” he said.
Moses Aruho, deputy resident city commissioner Mbarara, wants the city council to gazette boda-boda stages before the festive season.
“We don’t want again to see motorcycles parked on roads, if by 30th November, there is no any action, police will take charge,” said, and that they wind to curb criminality during the Christmas season.
He said boda-boda riders should operate from specified areas to keep the city orderly. “We are not chasing boda-bodas from the city but we want regulated stages where they are supposed to operate,” he said.
Godfrey Tumusiime, the Speaker of Mbarara City South Division also welcomed the council resolution, claiming that it will leave Mbarara city roads clean.
“Every month we spend a lot of money on cleaning streets. There is no doubt that boda-boda riders who drink water, eat maize, sugarcane, and dump then garbage on our roads,” he said, adding that the riders don’t pay any taxes for the stages they occupy.
He added the parking slots occupied by boda-boda riders are supposed to be utilised by car owners who pay parking fees.
Majidu Luganda, the interim chairperson of Mbarara City Boda-Boda Association said the process of demarcating stages would fail, claiming that the already existing stages were legally registered.
“Wherever there is a stage, it has its own committee leading it and they have a development plan and all those stages are registered and approved by council,” he said.
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