President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni marked his 81st birthday yesterday with thousands of boda boda riders at the first-ever Boda Union Festival and Expo held at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala.
The celebration turned into a platform for the President to rally support for financial reforms aimed at protecting riders from predatory moneylenders.
“My agreement with the Boda Bodas is that it is criminal for someone to give you a rabbit and then demand a cow in return. Moneylenders give you Shs5 million and expect Shs15 million back. That is robbery,” Museveni said, drawing applause from the crowd.
He said this was the reason government introduced the Parish Development Model (PDM), which offers low-interest financing. “If we give you Shs1 million, you pay back just Shs1,125,000 after two years. We have applied the same arrangement for the ghetto and now for the Boda Bodas,” he added.
The President also directed State House Comptroller Jane Barekye to certify all boda boda SACCOs to ensure transparency and stop misuse of funds.
First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni, congratulated the President on reaching 81 years and urged Ugandans to embrace unity as a tool for transformation.
“Africa was blessed with abundant resources, but we have remained poor because we fight among ourselves. Now, by God’s grace, Uganda has been given the wisdom to form a union — to bring us together. When we unite, we will be unstoppable,” she said.
Speaker of Parliament Anita Among also hailed Museveni for creating a peaceful and conducive environment that has enabled the boda boda industry to thrive.
Boda boda leaders used the event to showcase their progress and make fresh appeals to government. United Riders Cooperative Union Chairperson Frank Mawejje said patriotism training at Kaweweta had improved SACCO management. “Unlike in the past when SACCOs would collapse, we now employ accountants and lawyers to ensure proper management,” he said, while urging government to enforce its ban on confiscation of National IDs by moneylenders.
Union Business Products Advisor Fred Ssenoga called for unity between taxi and boda boda operators and proposed the creation of “Union Villages” to help members own homes. He also asked government to review the Shs700,000 fee for digital number plates, saying it unfairly equates riders with luxury car owners.
Uganda Taxi Operators Federation Chairperson Sekindi Rashid requested Museveni to officially launch Kampala’s new taxi park and praised him for harmonizing the previously divided taxi industry.
Events promoter Abbey Musinguzi (Abtex) appealed for SACCO support for promoters to escape exploitation by moneylenders.
The festival closed with renewed pledges from leaders and riders to build on the foundation of unity, discipline, and innovation set by the President.
