I am starting to believe that Jennifer Musisi or whoever is in charge of KCCA now days has an objective of seeing citizens of Uganda commute to work or other destinations on foot while in their city center.
Last Friday, > boda-boda riders went on a strike to protest against KCCA’s new project to demarcate all the boda boda free zones. They portrayed their outrage by breaking KCCA’s sign posts which indicated where they should not trespass which prompted the police to fire teargas and live bullets in order to contain the situation.
While I don’t believe in violent strikes, I however agree with boda-boda riders when they see KCCA’s program as an abomination. For some reason, this project reminds one of segregation. Boda boda riders are income earners who earn a living by driving people to different destinations. If you create no go areas for them, this implies that you intend to cut off their earnings which is really unfair.
Secondly, by KCCA claiming that this project will streamline public transport, I believe that’s a lie simply because they are areas where public means don’t reach. And we have been using bodas to get there.
Therefore, if we citizens of Uganda can’t get to some places in our city center on bodas that means that we shall have to rely on taxi cabs which are a tad expensive compared to bodas. The only options we are left with is to either move on foot or leave those areas to those who can afford the cost of living.
So, can you blame me when I say that after boda bodas next will the citizens being casted out of their own city center.
Mukasa Dennis, Kibuye Kampala.
