The Government of Uganda has today Thursday formulated a committee of ministers that will study the circumstances under which all Boda Boda stages will be abolished from Kampala city centre, a move intended to streamline public transport and reduce congestion.
According to a new government plan, Boda Boda cyclists are to be vacated from the major streets of Kampala, and this is intended to ease the movement of vehicles in the city and curb traffic jam congestion.
Headed by Minister for Kampala Hajjat Minsa Kabanda, the committee is set to meet about five Boda Boda associations in five divisions of Kampala, to present to them government’s roadmap to have riders leave all major city streets.
According to reliable sources, government intends to streamline taxi operations, which includes reducing the number of taxis in the city, after clearing the streets from Boda Bodas.
While addressing the press today, state minister for Kampala Kabuye Kyofatogabye, said the comittee is made up of ministers from different ministries.
“The committee is comprised of minister of works, minister of security, officials from the office of the prime minister and Internal affairs. The goal is to streamline the operations of public transport in Kampala, not just boda boda cyclists,” said Kyofatogabye.
“The commmittee has officially commenced its work today and we will see. We shall start with meeting different Boda Boda associations in different parts of the city, in five different divisions. We want them to come, we negotiate and come up with clear strategies,” he added.
Unlike in the past where Kampala Capital City Authority took up the role of vacating Boda Bodas from city streets, this time round, government wants this arrangement of stablizing and streamlining transport operations to be assumed by this special committte, in a move intended to decongest and modernise the city.
This kind of development comes at the backdrop of government’s meticulously planned innitiative to eject all vendors from the streets of Kampala, a move that is also intended to curb congestion and drift the city to modern standards.
With the help of personnel from the UPDF, KCCA is intensifying its efforts to effectively sweep street vendors from the city, through carrying out joint patrols on all major roads and streets in the city centre.
On the other side of the coin, Boda Boda riders in the city are genuinely worried and seriously concerned on the new government move to push them out of Kampala city.
Fear, mistrust, tension, suspicion, uncertainty, accusations and counter accusations have since rocked the boda boda fraternity in the capital Kampala.
A leader of Boda Boda associations, in one of the five divisions that make up Kampala city said that even as this kind of arrangement greatly terrifies them, they will cooperate with the newly formulated committee.
“My name is Kiwi, I am talking from Lubaga, if we dont fight for ourselves, we will be consumed by lions. It is not war again. It is all about negotiating. We are going to meet ministers on this committee at the offices of works and transport. We will discuss issues to do with Boda Boda operations, to see how best we can operate from the city without causing any conflicts,” he said.
“The minister just called us, this is our job, we are going to fight for our source of income, and they should know that we are in Uganda, this is our Uganda, we are among the poorest in the country,” he added.
Government intends to effectively ban all Boda Boda stages in the city centre, and designate specific places from where cyclists will operate.
According to the new plan, Boda Boda will be prohibited from staging in city centre.
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