By Anitah Ashemereirwe and Leonald kamugisha Akida,
NATIONAL
The institution of Uganda police force has been accused of extorting money from motorcyclists under guise of Boda Boda operation.
More than 6,000 Boda Bodas have been impounded in a nation wide crackdown against errant riders on the road without helmet, driving permits and reflector jackets, according to the spokes person of traffic road and safety directorate ASP Faridah Nampiima.
The operation that started on Monday last week follows the release of a CCTV footage of Boda Boda accidents in urban Kampala which police attributes to lack of driving training among others.
The motorcycle driving permit costs Shs: 135,000, training fee is shs: 60,000, the PSV licence is Shs: 60,000 while the third party fee is Shs:50,000.
But, Umaru Tumwizere, a Boda Boda rider at Ntinda Frabel stage said that police officers are exorbitantly extorting from the riders to release their motorbikes.
Like Tumwizere, Ismail Kirya, the Uganda young Democrats – UYD president accuses police of hiding in the operation to extort from riders.
“Police officers enforcing these directives are openly extorting an amount between 100,000 and 30,000 to get their bikes back. We want to ask the IGP to tell the public which account are they depositing this amount because if we are to calculate the 100,000Shs for the 10,000 Bodas impounded, police officers have collected almost a billion shillings in a week,” kirya said.
He calls for sensitization of all Boda Boda riders on road safety than ambushing them with lucrative operation.
Kirya was speaking to journalists at the DP head offices at city house Kampala on Tuesday, 15th November 2022.
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