Lira cyclists protest licences
Jun 18, 2006
OVER 1000 bodabodas took to the streets of Lira town on Tuesday to protest the sh10,000 annual bicycle license proposed by the municipal council.
By Patrick Okino
OVER 1000 bodabodas took to the streets of Lira town on Tuesday to protest the sh10,000 annual bicycle license proposed by the municipal council.
The cyclists stormed the Mayor’s Gardern at 9:00am following a call by the mayor to address the issue. But the group turned rowdy when the mayor failed to turn up. They broke and threw away the plastic chairs that had been neatly arranged for the meeting.
“We are tired. We cannot continue sitting here without anybody attending to us. We were told to come at 9:00am but it is now approaching mid-day,†one said.
Lira municipal council recently decided to levy a bicycle operators fee of sh10,000 per year to replace the sh200 fee per day, which was abolished in 2005 by President Yoweri Museveni.
Owiny said the fee would be used to design numberplates for bicycles and to collect garbage.
“We are not ready to pay sh10,000, unless it is reduced to 4,000 per year,†said one of the protesters.
The mayor, Peter Owiny, advised the cyclists to pay the fee and desist from illegal demonstrations. The Police impounded 20 bicyles.
OVER 1000 bodabodas took to the streets of Lira town on Tuesday to protest the sh10,000 annual bicycle license proposed by the municipal council.
The cyclists stormed the Mayor’s Gardern at 9:00am following a call by the mayor to address the issue. But the group turned rowdy when the mayor failed to turn up. They broke and threw away the plastic chairs that had been neatly arranged for the meeting.
“We are tired. We cannot continue sitting here without anybody attending to us. We were told to come at 9:00am but it is now approaching mid-day,†one said.
Lira municipal council recently decided to levy a bicycle operators fee of sh10,000 per year to replace the sh200 fee per day, which was abolished in 2005 by President Yoweri Museveni.
Owiny said the fee would be used to design numberplates for bicycles and to collect garbage.
“We are not ready to pay sh10,000, unless it is reduced to 4,000 per year,†said one of the protesters.
The mayor, Peter Owiny, advised the cyclists to pay the fee and desist from illegal demonstrations. The Police impounded 20 bicyles.