By Weswa Ronnie
MBALE
The Boda boda leadership in Mbale city has blamed police for always extorting money from them and using excessive force when arresting their members in the ongoing operation.
For some months now, police has been carrying out operations in the city on boda boda riders who lack requirements like helmets, permits, reckless riding among others.
The culprits are either being arrested, their motorcycles impounded or given express penalty receipts to pay money in the bank as fines.
While speaking to our reporter in an exclusive interview at his office yesterday on Wednesday, Juma Masera, the Publicity Secretary of Mbale Motorcycles Operators’ Riders Association says that police officers are conducting themselves in an unprofessional manner during the operation.
“Nobody supports boda boda riders who operate without those requirements because it’s for our own safety but it doesn’t mean they should be handled like chicken thieves or asked to pay bribes,” Masera told this website.
Samuel Wambewo, a boda boda rider along Kumi road stage said last week, one of their colleagues at MTN office boda boda stage was pushed by a police officer while riding and fell down ending up injuring himself and is currently at Mbale main referral hospital.
‘’We want police heads at Elgon region to intervene into the matter or else we shall take the law into our hands,” Wambweo said.
However, Rogers Taitika, the Elgon region police spokesperson says that Boda boda leadership should embrace the current crack down before blaming police all the time.
He added that some boda boda riders are stubborn to the extent that when they see police officers, they take off rather than stopping and explaining themselves to the officers.
Taitika said that police officers are not allowed to receive any money in cash but only give receipts so the culprits pay in the bank adding that both police officers and boda boda riders must be arrested for corruption.
