Jinja's boda-boda riders have to fight for passengers

According to senior officials at the Jinja town hall, some of the boda-boda men have been ferrying passengers without the operational permits since January, when the presidential election campaign kicked off.

Each boda-boda man is required to pay the council a monthly fee of 5,000 Ugandan shillings (about $3).

Deputy Town Clerk Mr Bagonza Birungi told me that an organisation like the Jinja municipal council could not be expected to offer community services without tax revenue.

Surprise

When the operation was conducted on Thursday morning, the town's 10,000 riders were caught by surprise.

For fear of spending a night in the notorious municipal cells, some of the riders jumped off their bicycles and watched the law enforcement officers load the machines onto lorries.

However, many of the riders opted to resist by throwing stones and other objects

The police responded by shooting in the air.

More shooting erupted outside the Kakindu Indoor Stadium where the impounded bicycles are being stored.

Jinja's streets, usually a beehive of bicycle activity, were deserted by Thursday afternoon.

Struggle

According to one policeman, shots were fired because army veterans among the boda-boda operators had threatened to grab a gun from one of the officers conducting the exercise.

People who are used to jumping on the bicycles on their way home after work condemned the council's action.

A boda-boda rider told me he was reluctant to pay the fees because he voted for President Yoweri Museveni, who promised to reduce some of the taxes.

The man who was recording the details of the impounded bicycles told me that by midday he had counted 1,200.

The operation continued into the afternoon.

The representatives of the boda-boda have told me that they have demanded an immediate meeting with the town clerk and his team.