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Welcome to Uganda’s wild west of boda bodas
What does that have to do with Uganda, you ask? While the rest of us crave law and order and institutions that actually work, there is a section of society which does not care for any law – the boda bodas.
Bodabodas are a law unto themselves in Uganda. (Photo by Kalungi Kabuye)
By: Kalungi Kabuye, Journalist @New Vision
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WHAT’S UP!
The very unfortunate murder of Sydney Gongodyo, rugby player, university student and an Old Budonian, was a scene right out of the almost mythical American Wild West. And we should all be very worried.
Ironically, movies based on the Wild West are extremely popular. And I admit to being a big fan. There is something about the typical story of a wild west film that appeals to people, of the lone gunman (many times unknown) who saves ordinary people from the bad guys, mainly outlaw bandits, corrupt lawmen and the so-called ‘robber barons’.
It is no coincidence that one of the most iconic characters in Western movies, played by Clint Eastwood in the 1966 film The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, was known as the Man With No Name. But these romanticised western movies have painted an unreal picture of the real wild west, which was an extremely brutal and violent place where human life was worth almost nothing. As kids, we were fascinated with the duels between cowboys (referred to as ‘draws’), and spent endless hours playing at ‘drawing’.
But in real life, people died. And there was nothing like the honour portrayed in the movies, when the duellists look at each other and tacitly agree when the draw starts. One would as soon just shoot you and claim you wanted to shoot them first. And most times, there was no sheriff or marshal to make sure it was all fair and square.
Although some scholars have rejected this depiction, insisting that many towns in the late 19th-century ‘wild west’ were actually much safer than many modern American cities, there was a period of nearly 50 years at the end of the century when lawlessness reigned in the American west. This was the real ‘wild west’, and this is where Uganda is headed.
That period was just after the American Civil War had ended, and thousands of broke, traumatised men with guns headed West, looking for opportunities. The expanding railway system and the discovery of gold and silver in some places made it an almost free-for-all.
So, you had a rapidly increasing population, no functioning institutions (those came later), lots of guns from the war, and thus a perfect storm for violence.
Although those institutions would eventually show up, and law and order would be established, there was a period when it was a really free-for-all.
What does that have to do with Uganda, you ask? While the rest of us crave law and order and institutions that actually work, there is a section of society which does not care for any law – the boda bodas.
Although some scholars have rejected this depiction, insisting that many towns in the late 19th-century ‘wild west’ were actually much safer than many modern American cities, there was a period of nearly 50 years at the end of the century when lawlessness reigned in the American west. This was the real ‘wild west’, and this is where Uganda is headed.
That period was just after the American Civil War had ended, and thousands of broke, traumatised men with guns headed West, looking for opportunities. The expanding railway system and the discovery of gold and silver in some places made it an almost free-for-all.
So, you had a rapidly increasing population, no functioning institutions (those came later), lots of guns from the war, and thus a perfect storm for violence.
Although those institutions would eventually show up, and law and order would be established, there was a period when it was a really free-for-all.
What does that have to do with Uganda, you ask? While the rest of us crave law and order and institutions that actually work, there is a section of society which does not care for any law – the boda bodas.
For them, Uganda is very much like the American West in the 19th century, before law and order got to them. They don’t have guns, but they have small bikes on which they ride to terrorise society.
After news of what had happened to Gongodyo made the rounds, many people took to social media to narrate harrowing stories of their encounters with boda gangs.
One narrated how she got a boda home after work, but when they reached the gate, her rider saw a bunch of bodas approaching at speed, and he left her there and sped off.
They assaulted her and took everything she had. She said the askari half-opened the gate, saw the boda gang and quickly closed it again. No one came to her aid.
But the most common tales were about accidents involving vehicles and bodas, which, given the way they ride, ignoring all traffic laws, are almost inevitable.
Hard data is not available, but it is estimated they are about 20 car-boda accidents in Kampala alone every day. And those little blighters are never in the wrong.
If you try to argue, all the rider has to do is scream, and dozens of his fellow little devils will gather around you. They won’t ask questions, but start to beat you and take everything you have.
One unfortunate driver even had his car burnt to ashes. His crime? He insisted the boda guy was in the wrong.
For whatever reason, the powers that be have been reluctant to rein in the boda industry, giving rise to all kinds of conspiracy theories.
One school of thought insists that many of the boda riders are actually government operatives, generally keeping an eye on the youth population. Others opine that the boda industry is a way of fighting youth unemployment, which otherwise would be a tinderbox of instability. So, the cost of unruly riders taking the law into their own hands is bearable, they say.
One thing about the whole unfortunate Gongodyo saga is the loud silence from the government. This lad was on the national rugby team and was considered one of the best young players. He served his country well, but his country has largely ignored him.
The really frightening thing about this whole saga is that it can happen to you, me, and anybody. Maybe not to the people in bulletproof SUVs with lead cars and mean-looking guys with big guns following. But they can’t fit the whole clan in that SUV, and sooner or later, a mother, brother, sister, father or in-law will fall prey to these rampaging bodas. What did the English wordsmith John Donne write in 1623? That ‘No man is an island… Therefore send not to know/For whom the bell tolls/ It Tolls for thee’. So, yeah. The bodas are coming for you, too.
Eventually, the American ‘wild west’ came to an end (although the films continue). There are many reasons which have been put forward to explain it, but civilisation (which means working institutions) did away with the lawlessness.
Unfortunately, Uganda is going in the wrong direction. We started with somewhat functioning institutions, but these are increasingly breaking down, leading to lawlessness.
Yes, the wild west is coming to Uganda, and we should all be very worried.
After news of what had happened to Gongodyo made the rounds, many people took to social media to narrate harrowing stories of their encounters with boda gangs.
One narrated how she got a boda home after work, but when they reached the gate, her rider saw a bunch of bodas approaching at speed, and he left her there and sped off.
They assaulted her and took everything she had. She said the askari half-opened the gate, saw the boda gang and quickly closed it again. No one came to her aid.
But the most common tales were about accidents involving vehicles and bodas, which, given the way they ride, ignoring all traffic laws, are almost inevitable.
Hard data is not available, but it is estimated they are about 20 car-boda accidents in Kampala alone every day. And those little blighters are never in the wrong.
If you try to argue, all the rider has to do is scream, and dozens of his fellow little devils will gather around you. They won’t ask questions, but start to beat you and take everything you have.
One unfortunate driver even had his car burnt to ashes. His crime? He insisted the boda guy was in the wrong.
For whatever reason, the powers that be have been reluctant to rein in the boda industry, giving rise to all kinds of conspiracy theories.
One school of thought insists that many of the boda riders are actually government operatives, generally keeping an eye on the youth population. Others opine that the boda industry is a way of fighting youth unemployment, which otherwise would be a tinderbox of instability. So, the cost of unruly riders taking the law into their own hands is bearable, they say.
One thing about the whole unfortunate Gongodyo saga is the loud silence from the government. This lad was on the national rugby team and was considered one of the best young players. He served his country well, but his country has largely ignored him.
The really frightening thing about this whole saga is that it can happen to you, me, and anybody. Maybe not to the people in bulletproof SUVs with lead cars and mean-looking guys with big guns following. But they can’t fit the whole clan in that SUV, and sooner or later, a mother, brother, sister, father or in-law will fall prey to these rampaging bodas. What did the English wordsmith John Donne write in 1623? That ‘No man is an island… Therefore send not to know/For whom the bell tolls/ It Tolls for thee’. So, yeah. The bodas are coming for you, too.
Eventually, the American ‘wild west’ came to an end (although the films continue). There are many reasons which have been put forward to explain it, but civilisation (which means working institutions) did away with the lawlessness.
Unfortunately, Uganda is going in the wrong direction. We started with somewhat functioning institutions, but these are increasingly breaking down, leading to lawlessness.
Yes, the wild west is coming to Uganda, and we should all be very worried.