Uganda police have stopped a Bodaboda Consultative stakeholder’s meeting staged by the Lord Mayor of Kampala city Erias Lukwago. This meeting was to generate views and proposals for the enactment of a Bill for Ordinance currently under consideration by the council to regulate the transport sector in the City.
Earlier today in the morning contingents of anti-riot police and army were deployed at City hall early to stop anyone associated with the meeting access into the premises.
The Lord Mayor who has always insisted on a systematic approach based on the law to regulate and organize the transport sector in the City.
“It’s wrong for the police to disrupt the meeting as this was the due process for the Committee of Council in engaging with stakeholders before returning the bill to Council for further consideration,” Lukwago said
The Lord Mayor says that the Police were being speculative in thinking that it was an open invitation to all Boda boda riders to come to City Hall yet he had invited only three hundred boda boda leaders from the one hundred registered boda boda associations around the kampala city. He urged that the beneficiaries of chaos in the boda boda sector were the ones behind the stopping of the meeting.
Zahara Luryirika, the KCCA Speaker assured the bodaboda riders that they will do everything in their power to hear their views.
“Council will do all in its powers to get the stakeholders’ views as that is the process.” Luyirika said after the incident in the morning.”
Lord Mayor Lukwago who decried the repeated allegations that his administration does not wish for an organized transport sector, called on all stakeholders to be supportive and expedite the process of enacting this ordinance so that the People of Kampala may enjoy a regulated and organized Transport system, he later led a team of Leaders to meet the Deputy Executive Director Eng. David Luyimbazi who allegedly wrote the letter asking police to stop the meeting.
Cabinet approved a bodaboda Free Zone where all bodabodas are prohibited from entering/accessing.
The bodaboda Free Zone will run along the following boundaries; Wampewo Roundabout- Jinja Road to Kitgum House junction – Access Road – Mukwano Road to Clock Tower -Kafumbe Mukasa Road -Kisenyi Road -Mackay Road- Kyaggwe Road- Watoto Church-Bombo Road – Wandegeya – Hajji Musa Kasule Road- Mulago roundabout- Kamwokya junction – Sturrock Road – Prince Charles Drive- Lugogo Bypass-Jinja Road- Wampewo Roundabout.