Bodaboda riders under different umbrella bodies have warned the former patron of Bodaboda 2010 Abdallah Kitatta to leave alone the bodaboda industry in Uganda if he wants peace.
Their warning follows Kitatta’s speech he made on Tuesday while interacting with his former group members where he said that he was going to start from where he stopped by crushing those who implicated him before he was arrested and those fighting his bodaboda 2010 group.
“I’m back and I’m more determined and stronger, therefore whoever thought that Kitatta is now in prison and took the leadership of Bodaboda in Kampala illegally, is going to face it rough because I’m going to start from where I stopped,” he said.
However, some bodaboda riders who faced the wrath of Kitatta’s bodaboda 2010, have vowed to fight him until their last breath saying that they are not ready to go back to the same reign of terror.
Ismail Kilyowa whose head is full of scars due to wounds caused by Kitatta’s group said they will never allow him to be their leader because he has never been a bodaboda rider.
“Me I want him to come out and tell us his stage, but I want to warn him to stay away from the bodaboda industry, ever since he was jailed we have had a peaceful working environment. I was terrorized by his men and if he says he is coming to again torture us as if we are not Ugandans, it will be bloody and I want to ask the government to come out and help us from this mafia,” he said.
Kyeswa Charles from Namkulabye stage and a member of Bodaboda century group asked Kitatta to remain in his political plays and stay away from Bodabodas.
“I want to advise my elder brother Kitatta to remain in his political comedy shows of NRM and leave bodabodas alone. Last time he tortured us, and now he thinks he can do it again because he has support from the government, we knew he will think of that the moment he comes back and we are more than ready for him. However, I would advise him to concentrate on taking care of his family, and leave us alone,” he said.
Kanyankole Justus from Kawempe stage whose brother was beaten by the bodaboda 2010 group also cautoned Kitatta to forget about disorganizing the bodaboda industry.
“I’m warning him to stop immediately what he is thinking because we are more than ready to deal with him. What they did to my brother am ready to die with Kitatta, let him be wise and stay in his lane. He is not anybody in this industry, eventhough the government refuses to help us, we shall deal with him man to man, we can not allow him to disorganise us again, Kitata’s men killed and tortured many bodaboda riders who left children and widows, we can not allow that to happen again,” he said.
On May 14, 2019, the General Court Martial at Makindye sentenced Kitatta and his bodyguard Detective Constable Sowali Ngobi to serve 8 years, 8 months and 6 days at Luzira prison on charges of being in illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.
The court’s chairman Lt. Gen Andrew Gutti ruled that the duo deserved to serve a maximum sentence of ten years but he was lenient enough to deduct one and half months period that each had spent on remand at Luzira.
However, on Friday last week, the Appellant Court Martial chaired by Elly Turyamubona reduced Kitatta and Ngobi’s eight-year jail sentence to three years and deducted the time they had already spent in custody.
Turyamubona noted that instead, the duo should have been sentenced to serve one year, eight months and six days starting from the day they were convicted in May 2019.
According to Frank Baine, the spokesperson of Uganda Prisons, Kitatta and Ngobi should have left prison on July 7, 2020, in line with a punishment reduction given to them on Friday by the Court Martial Appeals Court.
“I can confirm to you that Kitatta is a free man. He has been freed together with his bodyguard at around 4:30 pm on Friday,” Baine said.
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