Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) will today kick off a census for motorcycles and riders who work within Kampala, an activity which will run till August 30th 2022.
“Effective Monday 15th August, 2022, KCCA will begin the census for all motorcycles (also known as Boda Bodas) and riders operating in the city. This exercise will take place at selected centers in the city, “the statement from KCCA read in part.
According to the authority, riders should come with duly filled application form (available at the census centers, National Identity Card, letters from LC and PISO (Parish Internal Security Officer) and copy of log book.
The authority stated that the exercise will run daily from 8am to 5pm until 30th August, 2022, calling upon the riders to apply and be counted in their respective divisions of operation.
For riders who registered with the RCCs, this exercise will require them to update and re-validate the information provided, according to KCCA.
The authority stressed that this is a free exercise, urging all motorcycle owners and riders to participate.
Some of the areas where this activity will be conducted include; Nakawa Community Hall, Makerere Yellow Primary School, Kawempe Mbogo Primary School, Mpererwe C.O.U Primary School, St. Paul Kyebando Primary School
Othe venues are; Bat Valley Primary School, Old Kampala Secondary School, Makindye Officer’s Mess, Lukuli Play Ground, Kansanga Seed School Play Ground and Lubaga Division Gardens
In February this year, Kabuye Kyofatogabye, directed all boda riders operating within the city centre to have registered with the government by March 1. This was in a bid to reduce the number of riders operating within the city from the current 35,000 to only 4,000.
However, the registration deadline was not met and the exercise just resumed on July 1. More than 70 percent of Ugandans use boda bodas as their main means of transport on a daily basis, according to Uganda Bureau of Statistics.
Cabinet in 2020 issued a directive to regulate boda boda operations in the city and restore sanity in the transport industry. Under the plan, all boda boda cyclists would operate at gazetted stages and operate outside the boda boda free zones.
But the directive according to city leaders contradicts contents of the Boda boda Ordinance, which is before Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) council.
The Ordinance seeks to regulate the boda boda industry in the city in its entirety by charging a monthly or annual road user fee, electing members of the boda boda apex body, gazetting of stages, uniforms and Saccos for cyclists, among others.
City leaders argue that the piecemeal guidelines issued by the government could instead worsen the already fragile situation.
In 2013, KCCA attempted to register boda bodas in the city to ascertain their numbers and identity but the exercise was stopped by police saying some operators were clashing at registration centres.
