Written by Mark Muhumuza

A crackdown on motocycles used as means of transport has brought into question the issue of the public transport system in Uganda.

 
The crackdown that started in September last year has been against motorcyclists known as "bodabodas." According to the police, the crackdown  is aimed at instiling discipline back on Kampala roads.

 
Kampala's public transport is dominated by cavalier taxi drivers which is inadequate for peoples' needs. The increased numbers of cars on the roads and the subsequent traffic jams have made boda bodas a necessity.

 Many people believe that the boda bodas have become very many and led to increased traffic accidents. The police hunting down the cyclists argue that they should wear are protective gear and have  permits.

 Riders have been accused of being recklessness due to their lack of proper training. Most of the riders ignore the traffic rules while others are ignorant.

 Despite all this the bodaboda riders seem to be a darling of many who want to avoid the traffic jam and the taxis that seem, spend more time on the roads. However cyclists claim that the crackdown is harsh and blame the police for demanding bribes from them in order to get their motocycles back. This is an accusation that the police deny.

 In Rwanda motorcycle riders whether private or commercial cant be on the road without a helmet. It's a traffic offence to ferry passengers without a helmet. Both riders and passengers there abide by the rules that have been set.

 There is no policy to regulate the number of motorcycles registered on a daily basis. This is why there is a big number of boda bodas that have become hard to control.

The cyclists claim that some passengers make it hard for the riders to do the right thing. Most women claim helmets mess up their hair while others argue that the helmets are shared by many people and so they fear to contract diseases.

Kampala City Council early last year tried to decongest the town by wanting to chase the cyclists out of town but they hit a glitch as criticism of this surfaced all around.

In Nairobi, the city council has handled the issue of motorcyclists by keeping them out of the city centre.

The boda bodas are very many on the road and because of this number, it becomes almost impossible to regulate them.

 
 The motocycles are used by many and can only be safe when properly regulated. The police have continued with the crackdown but this is not the long term solution as the bodabodas keeping playing cat and mouse games with them.