OPINION

By Alex Bashasha

Almost everyone uses a bodaboda. It is a convenient means of transport in urban centres where traffic jams are often experienced. The bodaboda transport industry is also a source of income for many youths and provides a livelihood to thousands of families in the country.

The growth of the bodaboda business sector is closely linked to the influx of youth into urban centres. Thousands of youths migrate to urban areas where they engage in the bodaboda business after selling possessions like land in the villages. This has led to land fragmentation, which is against the government policy of encouraging families to consolidate land for commercial farming.

As part of a strategy to lift millions of Ugandans out of poverty, families are encouraged to consolidate land instead of dividing or sharing it in small portions that are not viable for commercial farming. The Bodaboda fiasco is a real threat to poverty eradication efforts at grass roots level. It is also doing more harm than good in urban areas where it is linked to several issues related to lawlessness.

The history of bodabodas has been documented in several writings. The first bodabodas were not motorbikes. They were bicycles ridden across Uganda-Kenya border town of Busia to smuggle coffee. They started in the 1960s and 1970s.The name originated from a need to transport people across the border posts without the necessary travel documents.

The bicycle owners would shout out bodaboda (border-to-border) to potential customers, which loosely meant transporting people from one side of the border to the other.

For motorists and pedestrians, bodabodas are a nightmare they have to deal with on a daily basis. Bodabodas account for most of the deaths and accidents on roads. Most hospital casualty wings are full of the bodaboda accident victims. Those who are lucky to survive have to live with amputated limbs. Statistics at the accident and emergency unit in Mulago National Referral Hospital show that motorbikes are the leading cause of injuries on the roads and have now surpassed motor vehicle accidents.

People riding on bodabodas have committed gruesome murders. They easily sneak away after committing crime. Even for the genuine riders, bodaboda business is a double-edged sword. At night, thugs pose as passengers, and when the motorcycle reaches a dark corner, riders are hit with hammers and iron bars before taking the motorcycle.

A study conducted by the Injury Control Centre Uganda (ICCU) at Mulago National Referral Hospital, indicates that two patients die on average every week at the hospital because of bodaboda accidents. Between 10 and 20 victims of bodaboda accidents are received at Mulago Hospital on a daily basis and 20% of the victims are left disabled.

The bodaboda transport industry employs a bulk of youth in Uganda. The increase in bodabodas is the result of a failed public transport system. The question stakeholders have to deal with is how to fix it.

Kampala city has the highest concentration of bodaboda motorcycles and the largest number of injuries reported. Riders often flout traffic laws. Their riding is reckless, as they squeeze their way in between vehicles during traffic jams, putting the lives of their passengers at risk.

The small roads have made matters worse as pedestrians, motorists and riders fight for the little space. This explains the traffic jams in Kampala, especially during peak hours.

A World Bank study found that traffic jams are costing Uganda over $800m (over sh2.8 trillion) in lost gross domestic product (GDP). The serious traffic congestions are resulting in prolonged travel times, high vehicle operation costs and environmental degradation. They also result in high costs of doing business and are a disincentive to investors.

The traffic jams point to problems caused by the increasing urbanisation, which is not matched by planning. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), the daytime population of Kampala city is about four million and at night, it is around 1.5 million people.
Parliament approved new cities for Uganda to start operations effective July 1, 2020. These included Arua, Gulu, Jinja, Mbarara, Fort Portal, Mbale and Masaka. The Uganda Vision 2040 and the National Development Plan reorganised the importance of urbanisation as a force for socio-economic transformation. Drawing the focus on the traffic flow, during the planning for approval of these new cities, special attention needed to be put on the problem of traffic jams.

They needed to use Kampala city as a case study to understand the problem and effects of traffic hold-ups. It is becoming harder per day for one to navigate around Kampala because of the traffic jams. The gridlock in Kampala is caused mainly by motor vehicles (cars) carrying city commuters and transporting goods. Cars have a significant negative impact on cities, from air pollution to traffic congestion.

In addition to contributing to climate change, car emissions can cause respiratory problems and other health issues for city residents.

Can Kampala still achieve world-class status as a capital city of Uganda? With its current set-up, it is better for Uganda to plan for another capital city.

The challenges Kampala is facing now are the same challenges countries like Japan, Nigeria, Indonesia among others have faced. These challenges include sprouting slums within the city, traffic jam congestion and unplanned roads among others. Uganda should relocate the capital city from Kampala to a more suitable location.

This is a conversation that stakeholders should be having now. The political question around the bodaboda business should also be addressed. If KCCA puts more regulations in place, the bodaboda industry could thrive, but as things stand now, they are a big problem especially in Kampala, which is positioning itself to become a smart city. KCCA should benchmark on how other countries have managed to regulate bodaboda business. Rwanda has a unique model, which we can replicate. Kenya and Tanzania also have good policies on thr management of bodabodas, which we can emulate.

However, Uganda’s current capital city may not be redeemed to desired levels of a global capital city like New York, London or Paris. When the capital becomes congested and irredeemable you start on a fresh page and plan a new city.

Some of the countries that have successfully shifted their capitals include Nigeria which shifted its capital from Lagos to Abuja, Brazil moved it from the crowded city of Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia while Australia moved its capital from its glamorous city of Sydney to what is termed as “Bush City” of Canberra. Germany shifted its capital from Bonn to Berlin.

There are several countries where the official capital city is not the seat of government. Examples are Benin, Bolivia, Ivory Coast, Netherlands, among others. Other countries have multiple capitals. These include Belize, Canary Islands, Chile and Estonia.

A capital city should not be only a symbol of authority of government; it should be the pride of the nation. Experts have advanced several reasons why Uganda needs to shift her capital. Kampala has served as the capital city of Uganda since 1962 when the population was small. The population of Kampala has shot up causing congestion. The roads are narrow. There are no pedestrian walkways nor bicycle lanes. The city lacks open public spaces and green areas.

There has been a debate about the location of the new capital city in case it is to be shifted.

Some people have suggested Nakasongola because of its flat nature and centrality. We could also look at Hoima as another alternative. Redeeming Kampala city is as good as impossible.

Prof. Alex Bashasha (PhD) is the Director General of TABKEN Consults on Development and a Fellow of Unicarribean Business School