Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | In a hump to toughen the safety and safety of boda-boda riders, Hongera Saana Uganda, in partnership with safety companies, has launched a brand new initiative to distribute free motorcycle monitoring devices to riders across the country. Ashraf Muyomba, the Nationwide Coordinator of Hongera Saana Uganda/Build of abode of labor of the President, acknowledged that the initiative is phase of a broader effort to guard the livelihoods of boda-boda riders, quite so much of whom rely on their motorcycles as their foremost provide of profits.
“We desire to originate certain riders truly feel safer and extra proper sparkling that their bikes could maybe be tracked at all instances,” he mentioned. URN understands that Hongera Saana, an initiative working below the Build of abode of labor of the President to curb violent extremism, is enforcing this system in collaboration with the Community Policing Department of the Uganda Police Force, the Counter-Terrorism directorate below the Internal Safety Organisation (ISO), and the Traffic Police.
In step with Muyomba, the newly launched initiative will include 24-hour toughen services and products for riders, offering assistance in case of emergencies and helping to coordinate swift recovery if a motorcycle is stolen.
He added that to boot, monitoring systems can provide emergency response supportin case of accidents or assaults, allowing safety companies to retort sooner. “With many riders working in areas with exiguous police presence, GPS monitoring gives a layer of personal safetyand accountability that advantages each and each the rider and the broader community. As crime focusing on boda-bodas will enhance, monitoring turns into a proactive tool to guard correct riders from being victims or wrongly suspected as perpetrators,” he added.
Hassan Yiga, Secretary for Defence for Wakiso District Boda-Boda Riders, welcomed the hump, noting that most riders would fancy to get entry to such services and products on the originate market however are hindered by excessive costs and inconsistent efficiency. To him, the initiative turns out to be helpful, offering a better, extra accessible alternative.
Donald Muhwezi, the Community Liaison Officer for the Kampala Metropolitan Location, emphasised the commercial vulnerability of many boda-boda riders, noting that most characteristic on a daily profits and in most cases rely on loans to manufacture motorcycles. He defined that the theft or lack of a motorcycle could maybe be financially devastating, leaving families with out a provide of livelihood.
“By installing monitoring devices, riders are better positioned to get better stolen motorcycles rapid, reducing losses and minimizing the impact on their families,” Muhwezi mentioned. He extra highlighted the evolving nature of policing and public safety. “Safety is changing into extra machine-basically basically based, and as police, we’re originate to working with someone offering alternatives that make a contribution to the safety of of us and their property. That’s why we welcomed the partnership with Hongera Sana Uganda,” he added.
To this point, a entire of two,056 monitoring devices own been put in for boda-boda riders working in varied areas, including Wakiso Town Council, Wakiso Mumyuka, Mende, Bujjuko Trading Centre, Ndejje, Kasanje Trading Centre, Kajjansi, and Makindye-Ssabagabo.
Previous distributing monitoring devices, the initiative will seemingly be smitten by sensitizing boda-boda riders about safety and issues of safety below the community policing model. It goals to elevate awareness and empower riders to play a role in figuring out and rooting out prison gangs working within their communities.
Ahmed Muwonge, the District Internal Safety Officer (DISO) for Makindye-Ssabagabo, emphasised the significance of the boda-boda industry in the country’s safety landscape. He mighty that while the field gives livelihoods to many Ugandans, it has also been exploited by some folks for prison actions.
“The boda-boda industry is serious now not correct economically, however also in phrases of safety. Sadly, some of us own obsolete it to carry out prison acts,” Muwonge mentioned. He added that they’ve been working closely with Community Liaison Officers to sensitize riders on safety matters and promote safer practices at some point soon of the field.
Boda bodas play a essential role in the country’s transportation machine. They give like a flash, cheap transport and are a major provide of employment, especially for formative years. Nonetheless, their rising affiliation with crime and insecurity has raised serious issues among authorities and the public.
While the majority of riders are law-abiding electorate incomes a residing, the field has also been infiltrated by prison parts. Boda bodas own been linked to incidents of robbery, violent crime, drug trafficking, and hit-and-hasten accidents. As a consequence, safety companies own intensified efforts to computer screen and alter the field, balancing the necessity for public safety with the commercial significance of the industry.
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