Motorcycle Taxis Multiply in Uganda’s Capital, Kampala

A Key Means of Transport in a City with Limited Job Opportunities

KAMPALA, Uganda — 

The young men perched on motorcycles looked dazed in the morning heat. But at the sight of a potential passenger, they furiously kick-started their machines and tried to outrace each other for the business.

For tens of thousands of men in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, this is how to make a living. For others, the speeding motorcycles embody the city’s chaos as an essential but menacing means of transport.

The motorcycle taxis, known locally as boda-bodas, are ubiquitous in East African capitals like Nairobi and Kigali. But nowhere in the region have boda-boda numbers been surging more dramatically than in Kampala, a city of 3 million people, no mass transit system and rampant unemployment.

The Boda-Boda Men

An estimated 350,000 boda-bodas operate in Kampala, driven by men who come from all parts of Uganda and say there are no other jobs for them.

“We just do this one because we have nothing to do,” said one driver, Zubairi Idi Nyakuni. “All of us here, other people even, they have their degrees, they have their master’s (degrees), but they are just here. They have nothing to do.”

Growth of the Boda-Boda Industry

The boda-boda men, who operate mostly unregulated, have resisted recent attempts to dislodge them from the narrow streets of Kampala’s central business district, frustrating city authorities and underscoring the government’s fears over the consequences of angering a horde of jobless men.

“We must appreciate where the boda-boda comes from, how this whole phenomenon grew,” said Charles M. Mpagi, spokesman for Tugende, a Kampala-based company that specializes in financing boda-boda purchases. “You have quite a large number of people that are young, who can’t find jobs to do, whether in the public sector or the private sector, and they do not have significant alternative income to get into other enterprises.”

Safety Concerns

About 76% of Uganda’s 43 million people are under 35, according to government figures. Jobs are scarce in an economy where just 1% of 22.8 million employees make $270 or more in monthly pay, according to central bank figures released earlier this year.

Uganda’s unemployment rate — as a proportion of unemployed people to the total labor force — grew from 9% in 2019 to 12% in 2021, according to the most recent survey by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics. The unemployment rate for people between 18 and 30 was even higher, at 17%. For young people in urban areas, it was 19%.

Conclusion

The boda-boda phenomenon is a complex issue, driven by a lack of job opportunities and a desire to survive in a challenging economy. While the motorcycles bring chaos to the city’s streets, they also provide a means of income for thousands of young men. The Ugandan government faces a difficult task in addressing the issue, as any attempts to dislodge the boda-boda men from the city’s central business district could have unintended consequences.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many boda-bodas operate in Kampala?

A: An estimated 350,000 boda-bodas operate in Kampala.

Q: Why do many boda-boda men lack formal education?

A: Many boda-boda men lack formal education because they dropped out of school at a young age, often due to financial constraints. Without alternative job opportunities, they turned to working as boda-bodas.

Q: Why are boda-boda men attracted to the job?

A: Boda-boda men are attracted to the job because it provides them with a means of income, even if it is meager. The work is also often seen as an exciting and flexible way to earn a living, as it allows them to work on their own schedule.