Months after boda bodas were allowed to operate full time, there have been a reported spike in the number of crimes aided by cyclists.
Many of the crimes occur during the peak hours of traffic, early morning and at night.
Asha Gimono, a victim of robbery said she recently was riding on a boda boda in the night with a friend when another cyclist carrying two people intercepted them.
They were headed to their hostel in Makerere.
“They punched our cyclist and ordered us to get down,” she said.
“The cyclists- turned robbers beat us to the ground, took our bags and phones, then off they disappeared in thin air.”
Joseph Habiremye, one of the leaders of boda boda cyclists in Kampala central division said government had not supported their initiative of trying to identify cyclists using reflector jackets.
Habiremye urged all boda-boda users to always use cyclists who are dressed in a reflector jacket to have guarantee of security.
“Those are registered and can easily be tracked down in case of immoral behaviour,” he said.
Habiremye asked government to partner with boda-boda leaders and support the security measures put up by boda boda leaders in their decentralised units.