By Kabuye Roanld
The Concerned Citizens on the Plight of Boda-Boda and Vendors business within Kampala and other sides of the country have come out and tabled several demands to government that will foster coexistence and development.
According to the statement issued by the group, their major concern is government evicting the vendors and Hawkers out of the street and country side without any comprehensive policy plan that would absorb these businessmen to thrive and make their survival continue in the country.
They also assert that by Boda-Boda only surviving in the day economy because of the night curfew that starts at 7:00pm it makes their shift ride a very big challenge.
They further stated that The Vendors and hawkers have Limited Capital of 200,000shs selling Mangos, clothes and shoes which can’t rent a space of 200,000shs and pay all the necessary utilities and yet still manage a successful business to survive yet street vending, hawking and Boda-Boda business is an informal sector of the economy that has employed close to 1 million citizens across the country.
“Those business emerged when the Government of NRM created incentives for the growth of the most haphazard ‘urban development’, agricultural economy has suffered a gross set back in these regime of NRM, due to insignificant investments misguided by politicians, limited support and regime corruption, secondly the regime killed all National Co-operative Movements replacing them with Saving and Credit Societies which could have employed Millions of Ugandans by strengthening the traditional Agriculture. And because of the above factors, close to 82% of Ugandans especially the Youth have been subjected to poverty, ignorance and diseases in the Urban Centers as a way of survival.” Reads a statement in parts
Bithum Eric Opondo, the public relations officer for the group said that a huge number of the population have resorted to ridding Boda-Boda and Vending in the Urban Centers like Kampala as means of survival, other than resort to criminal acts of pick-pocketing, robbing, burglary, and engaging into drug use. Despite that fact, the vendors and Boda-Boda, still face problems of capital to thrive in their business. Because of that, they can’t afford to rent spaces in the Shopping Moles and arcades in towns which assume to be very expensive and One Motorcycle is ridden by a minimum of 3 Youth within 24 hours of a day, to ensure every one survives and get something for a leaving.
It should be noted that weeks back, the Government of Uganda through the Kampala City Authority with its program of having a Smart City, because it was occupied and Congested by the Boda-Boda and Vendors launched an operation to forcefully evict vendors, hawkers and the next in line being Boda bodas.
