Written by Evans Wafula 2012-09-08 09:17:00 Read 447 Times

The senior commissioner of Uganda police in charge of traffic and road safety Dr. Steven Kasiima has advised the Boda Boda industry in the country to register all the riders working under their umbrella in one organization if they are to fight the problems and confusions persisting in the sector.

While launching the road safety campaign on Friday in Tororo District where 40 motorcycle riders under the Boda Boda community were passed out after attaining a three months training on road safety Kasiima said that while road accidents have reduced by 10% in the county 50% of road accidents caused involve a Boda Boda.

He said that according to the traffic report on death accidents involving the Boda Boda in the past six months of this year 297 boda Boda riders have already died with 195 passengers of boda boda dying and over 400 people died by either getting knocked by the Boda Boda or out of mistakes caused by a Boda Boda rider.

Kasiima said that it is upon this that traffic police in the country has decided to embark on a campaign to register all the boda Boda in the country and their stages to avoid any more accidents.

The new Tororo District deputy Residence commissioner Bob Opio however warned the Boda Boda riders  against involving themselves in illegal activities saying that most of the riders are used by political opportunist for their own gain adding that some of the Boda Boda’s even connive with thieves to vandalize peoples properties at night and some are used to transport illegal material like acids and guns used to commit crime in the country.

Dr. Kasima agreed with Opio’s comment saying that in most cases the Boda Boda riders are the once used to even transport the terrorists who are now targeting Uganda adding that the training will spread country wide and then police hopes to use the trained riders to reduce on criminal cases in the sector.

Kassima added that traffic police department is to also embark on serious sensitization on road crossing and road signs in schools all over the country too in an aim to help in reducing on the deaths of the young generations who perish on road traffic crashes every year in the country.

He said that 60% of those who die in road traffic crashes every year are of 18 years and below adding that there is need to embark on serious sensitization on road crossing and road sign in schools all over the country.

Kissima said that every traffic office will now be assigned to a particular school with a mandate to teach the young generation on how to observe the above rules and regulations adding that their aim is to live the students with a permanent message with a target to reduce on child deaths on roads.

He has however warned the traffic officers against preaching what they can’t do saying that some of them steel ride the motorcycles without helmets and others don’t even put on their boots adding that the force shall not tolerate search indiscipline.

The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) In Tororo District is to switch from use of metallic road signs to plastics due to the continuous vandalism of the metallic once from the roads which has left more than 150 out of the 200 road signs placed on the main roads in Tororo Municipality missing.

The maintenance and station engineer at the Tororo District UNRA branch Chris Opuch said that the continuous vandalizing of the road signs in Tororo District has lead to an increase of road accidents adding that investigations show that they are sold to the scrap dealers who melt them for other use.

Opuch said that it is upon this that UNRA has decided to switch to the use of plastic materials for the road sign which he says will soon be launched in the district with an aim to help reduce on the road accidents in the area.

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