President Museveni while presiding over the 41st Tarehe Sita celebrations in Mbale yesterday announced that curfew restrictions on boda bodas will be lifted starting today 6pm.
The boda bodas like the rest of the economy were closed two years ago as one of the measures to contain the deadly COVID-19. With partial opening of the economy and maintainance of curfew they were supposed to work until 7pm.
In his end of year address on 31st December 2021, the President said that the economy will be fully opened two weeks after the opening of schools with the exception of boda bodas, this was done basing on the advice of the health committee who based their assumption on a security perspective rather than a health one.
The President said that he had ordered the committee to leave the security and look at other perspectives.
Two weeks after the economy was fully reopened, the President has also allowed boda bodas to work trans-night, in his statement yesterday he said, “Starting tomorrow 6pm, Boda Boda riders can work trans night like all others. I know that they are some wrong elements using Boda Bodas for crimes but we shall deal with them in another way other than curfew. Resume work and contribute to your household incomes positively”.
He further revealed that the government plans to introduce digital monitors as one of the ways of ending crimes committed by some elements in the Boda Boda sector. “I know some are thieves and others murderers but we shall see how to deal with them in another way but not closing them. We are going to introduce digital monitors in motorcycles and vehicles. We want to end crime. The issue of using vehicles to commit crimes is now finished and will no longer happen,” he said.
With the opening of the night economy, this will enable Ugandans get access to the affordable means of transport, this was evident when the President even joked that following the reopening of the night economy, many people have been sleeping in bars because there are no boda bodas to transport them home but noted this will be a story of the past starting today.
With the Lifting of curfew restrictions on the whole economy now, the Boda Boda riders like other Ugandans should be able to work tirelessly and cater for their families and contribute to the economic growth of the country.
