Mugira Fredrick
When he dropped out of school, Moses Mugyema’s future seemed bleak and irretrievable. But the 25 year old known to his fellow Boda Boda operators as Brown has distinguished himself as a self-made man with a host of stunning achievements to name.
Within 5 years, he has transformed himself from a just school dropout to a respectable citizen who owns an iron roofed house, a farm with 10 Ankole long horned cows and a video hall.
Mugyenyi is just one of over 100.000 youths in Uganda that are in this business of ridding commercial motorcycle Boda Bodas. These motorcycles which started about a decade ago as an innovation of bicycle Boda bodas carry passengers and sometimes goods.
With day by day increase in unemployment of youths in Uganda, youths, especially those unemployed see Boda Boda ridding as their only liberator to ending unemployment problem. The chairperson of the National Boda Boda Cyclists Cooperative savings and Credit Society (BOCOSACS), Masokoyi Abdu says: “Over 100,000 youths countrywide are in this business” of ridding Boda Boda commercial Motorcycles.
“When you enter this business with a plan, you can become rich” Masokoyi says. He says that most youths in the country who are in this business have been able to raise funds for helping them to “marry”, buy land, open up shops and “take their children to schools”.
Expressing himself in Luganda, Ismail Lutamanyira, 33, a boda boda cyclist in Kampala said, he makes between 10,000 shillings to 15,000 per day depending on the situation. He owns and operates his own Boda Boda and has been in this trade for 5 years. He is marries with two sons.
What is more interesting is that the business of ridding Boda Boda Motorcycles is not only acting as a savior for youths in Uganda to get jobs but also helping others to join politics.
BOCOSACS’ boss Masokoyi says “Nine Boda Boda cyclists are vowing to vie for various political seats in different parts of the country in the next National”.
“One of them wants to compete for the MP seat in Kampala city, another wants Masindi district chairmanship seat, while others wants to be councilors at different local council levels” Masokoyi stressed. He however could not mention their names for what he called security reasons.
Mid this year, a Boda Boda cyclist, Kushemererwa Laurence competed with 4 other contestants in the Mbarara Municipality MP by-elections. He managed to be the second to the winner John Kigyagi. Among others contestants Kushemerewa won was a lawyer with the NRM secretariat.
Coincidently Boda Boda’s are not only a savior to the riders, they help their fight poverty.
Ngulu, 28 operating form Makerere University Gate sate in Kampala says he pays 7,000 shillings to the motorcycle owner per day.
On the side of government, millions of shillings from the Boda Bodas inform of Road Licenses and Insurances. According to the Uganda revenue authority (URA), a motorcycle pays these taxes according to its engine capacity (C.C). 500 shillings is paid for each C.C. The most common Boda Boda cycles have 50 and 100 C.Cs. there are about 100.000 boda boda motorcycelks in the country which pay these taxes annually.
Boda Boda Motorcycles are also cheap which makes them an ideal transport means for the poor people. According to Ngulu most on most of the routes they charge 500 shillings of 1000 shillings.
They are also faster and usually not affected by the traffic jams. A student at Makerere University Okiror Steven says: “I use Boda Bodas every time I am going to campus for studies and back to the hostel in Bakuli”.
“They are convenient and can be found almost everywhere, unlike taxis”. Okiror continued to reveal.
However, critics of Boda Bodas especially environmentalists say though Boda Boda Motor cycles are saying the youths from unemployment b, they are killing them slowly. “Second had or order two-stroke Motorbikes are serious causes of air pollution”. Says World Bank Environmental economist Noreen berg. He says Motorcycle’s drivers who spend 10-15 hours on the streets are usually using their lungs to clean the air.
More Several Boda Boda drivers have also lost their lives in accidents.
According to the regional Traffic officer Kampala Extra, Gabriel Tibayungwa, in the year 2002, over 600 Motorcyclist died in road traffic accidents and too suffered from injuries.
Society in Uganda has also been accusing Boda Boda riders of being the leading defilers especially of the girl children to transport to schools everyday.
Boda Boda ridding , a profession that employs most youths , who would otherwise be in villages loitering and doing all sorts of insecurity acts there should not be taken as a mere job. Government and stakeholders need to put in more in this sector to attract more unemployed youths into it.
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