Only registered and trained Boda boda riders shall be allowed to operate in Kampala, the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja has revealed. Speaking at the launch of the registration exercise for Boda Boda riders at the Kira Road Police Grounds in Kamwokya Tuesday, Nabbanja urged riders to shun negative voices discouraging them from registering and training, saying it is through this exercise that they shall be able to formalize their operations in the City.
Nabbanja says the purpose of the training and registration is to organize the industry, ensure that riders are knowledgeable about their job, and eliminate wrong elements who use Boda bodas to engage in theft, robbery, and murders.
It’s almost a week since Nabbanja instructed the Ministry for Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs and Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA to register all Boda bodas riders in Kampala by September 1st, 2022.
Her instruction came months after the Ministry of Works working with the Uganda Driving Licensing Agency-UDSA started training Boda boda riders in Kampala on proper road use and traffic rules and guidelines in April 2022. However, the exercise has been unpopular with several riders declining to register and train.
But now Nabbanja says that it is through registration and training that one shall be allowed to operate a Boda boda in Kampala.
So far there is no clear roadmap for mass registration but riders have been asked to register and train at the different centers in their divisions.
Riders also appealed to the government over the high cost of acquiring a driving license. When the training of riders started, the Minister for Transport and Works Gen. Katumba Wamala announced that after training, riders who didn’t have driving permits would be helped to get them but many complained that they couldn’t afford the fees. It was agreed that fees for Boda boda riders to acquire permits be decreased.
The Minister hence announced the decision to reduce the One year license from Shillings 55000 to 27500, three (3yrs) licenses from Shillings 150,000 to 75,000, and the 5 years license from Shillings 250,000 to 12,5000.
One of the female Boda boda riders, Christine Namatta Kuteesa, said that several of the female riders just like it is for male riders do not have driving permits because they cannot afford them amidst increased fuel prices and the high cost of living yet they have a big load caring for their families.
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