John K. Abimanyi
9 September 2008
analysis
On August 25, 2008, Henry Kaweesa, a boda boda cyclist, was riding along Buganda Road, past the Central Police Station, when he was waved to a stop by a Traffic Police fficer. The officer demanded for his permit, helmet, and motor Third Party insurance.
Kaweesa says he had them all but that the officer was not impressed by his requirements. His motorcycle was then impounded and he was directed to the head of traffic at Central Police Station for details on how to retrieve his motorcycle.
Kaweesa has not been to the traffic officer yet to claim his motorcycle because he does not have the Shs80,000 fine required to retrieve it. He says he can no longer meet his family's needs because he does not have a source of income anymore.
Kaweesa's tale is that of a multitude of other boda boda cyclists who have collided head-on with the law ever since April this year when the police launched an operation to streamline their operations.
Other cyclists like Moses Agaba have had tougher acquaintances with the police. Agaba was arrested near Queensway as he tried to hold onto his motor bike.
He is currently in Luzira Prison, facing five different charges, says a workmate at the Queensway boda boda stage.
The recent police campaign against unlawful boda boda cyclists came after a sharp increase in the number of accidents occurring on the streets of Kampala, with the majority linked to reckless riding by these cyclists.
Dr Tito Beyeza, a consultant orthopedic surgeon at Mulago Hospital, recently said that about six of the 10 patients admitted at the casualty department are victims of boda boda-related accidents.
The cyclists have been the subject of criticism for irresponsible riding and over speeding; an allegation that not even the cyclists themselves deny.
John Ssepuya, the General Secretary of the National Federation of Boda Bodas (NFB), says that there are many cyclists who do not have the necessary requirements and it is these that are largely responsible for the accidents.
According to the State Minister for Internal Affairs, Matia Kasaijja, the police crackdown on boda bodas is aimed at reducing the rate of deaths caused by the cyclists.
As noted with Agaba and Kaweesa, so many prices have been paid in theattempt to make the roads in Kampala a safer route for passengers.
An unidentified cyclist at the Queensway stage who lost his motorcycle in the raid says that he acquired his motorbike bike on credit and had not yet made enough money to finish paying off the loan.
"I am now stranded," he said, "I have to take care of my family, pay the fine for the motorcycle, as I also look for the money to pay the loan."
But it was not only the riders who were affected. Various passengers were roughed up off the bikes on Namirembe Road and at Queensway for not wearing the crash helmets.
When the tide got rough, parts of the city came to a standstill as police was forced to shoot in the air and shops around Queenway and Namirembe Road had to close for the safety of the traders and their stock.
This recent crack down on the motorcyclists is reminiscent of many other actions by the Traffic Police aimed at reducing on the rate of road accidents.
During those times too, many prices were paid by both passengers and the drivers in a bid to reduce road accidents. Between 2004 and 2005, the police launched a campaign against passenger carrying vans that didn't have seatbelts fixed in the cars.
There were incidents of passengers getting arrested and held in police cells for travelling without their seatbelts strapped.
One media report had it that a Mwanga II court magistrate had sentenced 17 passengers to three months in prison for not strapping their seat belts. This was followed by another crackdown on passenger carriers without speed governors in 2006.
Many taxis and buses were impounded by Traffic Police inconveniencing many passengers as a result.
There are complaints in sections of the public about the appropriateness of the traffic regulations that the police tries to enforce. In this recent clampdown on boda boda cyclists, passengers and cyclists are complaining about the appropriateness of the passenger helmet.
But Ssepuya says that their passengers refuse to ride with the helmets on because they are afraid of catching infectious diseases and also, female passengers say that the helmets mess up their hair.
He argues that they are willing to abide by the traffic regulations but the authorities should tone down on the demand for a second helmet.
Susan Kataike, the Public Relations Officer for the Ministry of Works and Transport, however defends the regulation and challenges the passengers to bear with it just like they would bear with any other precaution.
"The second helmet is for the benefit of the passengers who use the boda bodas. There are disadvantages with it but the major issue is the safety of the people."
For many years now, the battle against the road accidents has called for a wide range of solutions, and yet the accidents still occur. These solutions have not left us bruise-less.
As seen in the recent crackdown, arrests have been made, family sources of income shattered, especially when the taxi or motorcycle that generates it is impounded, and children have hence been left seated at home without school fees.
But one cannot ignore the fact that many people have lost their limbs and others have lost their lives and that something must be done about the reckless cyclists on the roads.
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