CAPE TOWN – With no financial support amidst Uganda’s Covid-19 mitigation measures, motorcycle taxi drivers are suing the government for denying them the right to full operation within the regulatory framework as all other businesses are permitted to do.

Uganda’s ‘boda-boda’ drivers association, the native name for motorcycle taxi drivers in Uganda, say the government is discriminating against them for not allowing them to carry passengers and they have sued the government, BBC reports.

The association sees it as discriminatory as other businesses are allowed to operate and the government has not provided a relief scheme for its drivers.

On 22 June, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has provided updated regulations in his 16th address on Covid-19 as the country slowly eases out of a lockdown, the Daily Monitor reports.

Briefly, the revised regulations included the national dusk to dawn curfew to stay in place, schools to remain closed and 14 districts remain on lockdown due to clusters of infections.

In addition to motorcycle taxi drivers only being permitted to transport goods and not passengers. “If the boda-bodas are allowed to transport people at this stage of the infection it may lead to further spread of the virus and may be worsened by the challenge of tracing for their contacts,” Museveni said.

BBC reveals that Museveni also said that it would be premature to allow the drivers to carry passengers since there is very little space between the driver and passengers on the motorcycle taxis, and therefore does not adhere to physical distancing measures.

The motorcycle taxi drivers have been protesting against Museveni’s decision. On the morning of 2 July, Hussein Walugembe, a boda boda driver committed suicide in Masaka Central Police Station by setting himself on fire, The Independent reported.

Walugembe was denied the return of his motorcycle after it was impounded for not adhering to the national curfew, Daily Monitor reported.

Although there were conflicting details from multiple publications, he 

was unable to pay the required fee to police officers to retrieve his vehicle.

Deutsche Welle (DW) described it as a bribe that he was unable to pay.

Enock Ambaine, Uganda’s Southern Region Police Commander, did instruct the Professional Standards Unit to investigate the incident as well as the officer involved, since the fee requested by the officer was alleged to be more than the fee stipulated by law, according to the Daily Monitor.

As of 8 July, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recorded 953 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and no deaths. – Nampa/ANA