Tension is mounting amongst Boda Boda motorists in Lira municipality following the introduction of annual registration fees. Recently, Lira Municipality passed a resolution charge boda boda motorists 15,000 shillings for registration. On Wednesday, Morris Odung Omara, Mayor Lira Municipality urged the cyclists to pay the money to boast the council revenue to enable them deliver services to residents.
But some boda boda motorists will not have any of this insisting that President Yoweri Museveni scrapped all the taxes levied on boda boda operators in 2004. Bosco Acanga, chairperson Lira boda boda operators’ association says that most operators are unable to pay the fees saying it should be reduced. According to Acanga the registration fee will also help the council to identify cyclists in the town.
Paul Odongo, a boda boda motorist at Kakoge stage in Ojwina Division wants the registration fees reduced to shillings 10,000. Odongo says that it would be unfair to charge them shillings 15,000 yet he makes only 7000 shillings each day. But Awany Cingmalo, the LC 3 chairman Adyel Division says that 15,000 shillings registration fee is fair to the cyclists. Awany says that they had earlier proposed to charge the cyclists shillings 25,000 but reduced the money because of the high inflation across the country.
