Why boda boda rider transporting expensive TV screen sparked heated debate

Just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, a friend of mine bought a flat-screen television. When the electronic arrived in the back of the hired vehicle, it couldn't turn on. It wasn't until it was taken apart only to find that some parts had been ruined. It cost more than the transport fare to repair it.

Courtesy/Gabriel Buule Pulse

However puzzling it is for someone to buy a product worth million shillings only to transport it using cheap means, on some level it makes sense. Ugandans trust boda boda riders to a fault.

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One user Ñêimà Griff Khòlyñz Áñwár 🔰@Kholynz1 said, "U might find the owner trusts the boda guy n has known him for good years ....n maybe the owner cud be busy to pick it up at the moment."

The logistics of getting a personal boda boda rider compared to hiring a pick-up truck seems easier and cheaper by dozens, as some comments pointed out.

Kwehangana Moses@MosesNabs: "You all complain but Never seen a single accident before..I guess it's pretty safe up there."

Mugyenyi Patrick@bin_oshabe: "That's a Bajaj 150, it can deliver 4 of those TVs safely."

Uncle P@pntimba: "Why are you all worried about money that isn’t yours?"

Ruhaama Boy(Baguma)@guma256: "Good thing there is no TV which has ever gotten a problem while being transported on a boda 🙈🙈"

Trending tweets🏁@jjohnnie9: "If a human being can sit on it they why not ?😂😂 Isn't life greater than material"

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Man transporting water pipe on boda boda/Courtesy Pulse

It is worth mentioning that some screen sizes cannot fit in cars which leaves pick-up trucks as the only option for transportation.

Ham L Mbaziira@hl_mbaziira: "The problem is with DELIVERY cost. We bargain alot on that!"

Although boda bodas are common transport means for many Ugandans, this heavy reliance on them is not without setbacks. According to traffic police reports from 2022, boda-boda accidents cost 16 lives every three days.

According to this report, boda-boda accidents are highly associated with behavioural factors. Interventions have been suggested to mitigate these behavioural factors.

In this article from December last year, boda boda riders questioned Kampala City Council Authority statistics concerning boda boda permits and eligibility. Umar Isabirye, a boda boda rider and Chairman Boda Boda Industry Makindye division said that many people join the business after a few days of riding without qualifications or training to make them fit for the road.

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Apart from large electronics and appliances, boda-boda riders are renowned daredevils with a devil-may-care attitude in their pursuit of business beyond transporting humans. This includes transporting construction materials, furniture, and other heavy-duty items that are too big for the rider's safety and the other road users.