Tear gas rocks Kasese as boda boda riders riot

By Wilson Asiimwe

Several business in Kasese town were brought to stand still as police battled boda boda cyclists who had staged riots in the central business area protesting the recent operation by the police in which over 400 motorcycles were impounded.

Police fired live bullets and tear gas to calm the situation as the rioters had blocked all the roads in the town.

The rioters blocked all the major roads in Kasese town and forced everyone who was riding a motorcycle to abandon it and move on foot. They also caned several people who were riding motorcycles and forced them to abandon them.

The riots started in Nyakasanga as early as 6:00am when a group of cyclists armed with stones and sticks stormed the Fort Portal-Kasese high way forcing all the people who were riding on motorcycles to stop and walk on foot.

Boda boda men charging at policemen

Bob Kagarura, the district police commander said that the violent demonstrations by the cyclist in Kasese have left several people nursing injuries.

He said the rioters started stoning the police officers who had been deployed to ensure calm in town and that the police officers also responded with tear gas.

"We are not going to tolerate the hooliganism by the bodaboda cyclists. If they have issues with the police let them bring them up without destabilizing others and we are pursuing all those behind the riots and we shall arrest them," said Kagarura.

The cyclists accuse the police of harassing them and impounding their motorcycles without reasons and extorting money from them.

Impounded boda bodas

"For the last four days we have been operating in hiding because our motorcycles are being impounded by the police. We thought for an intervention of the Resident District Commissioner and failed," said Joseph Mugisa a bodaboda cyclist.

Thembo Ssanyeri, the chairman of the bodaboda riders in Kasese district said the riots were sparked off by the police when they started firing live bullets and tear gas at them.

"We had intended to stage a peaceful demonstration but the police started firing at us so the situation which was calm turned violent,” said Ssanyeri.

Florence Ekadu the officer in charge of traffic police at Kasese police station said the operation aimed at enforcing discipline among the bodaboda cyclists and ensuring that they comply with the traffic rules and guidelines.

By press time police armored vehicles were still patrolling the streets and several shops and offices in the town were still closed.