The police in Kampala have failed to kick off planned crackdown on unregistered Boda boda operators in the City.
This comes after the mandatory Boda Boda registration closed on Friday last week, and the Minister for Kampala, Hajati Minsa Kabanda warned that unregistered motorcycle taxis commonly known as Boda Boda will not be allowed in the city starting today Monday, September 19th, 2022.
The highly anticipated crackdown however, didn't take place as expected. Now, the Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA Spokesperson, Simon Kasyate, says the minister's communication was taken out of context. He explained that they are currently sorting the data that will be followed by enforcement.
Kasyate noted that close to 50,000 Boda bodas registered during the two-week Boda census exercise. “Right now we have registered close to 50,000, and that’s the number we are going to plan for,” Kasyate. Up to 400, 000 Boda boda riders are estimated to operate in Kampala Metropolitan Areas.
There were mixed reactions among different Boda Boda operators interviewed some of them saying that they expected running battles with the law enforcement officers in the morning but he was surprised by what he met.
According to one Agaba, of the 60 riders on his stage, only 5 had registered by Friday last week. He blames KCCA and the line ministry for not involving the Boda Boda leadership in the exercise, which explains the low numbers.
The Kampala City Lord Mayor, Elias Lukwago insists that the ongoing processes are illegal due to the lack of supportive laws.