By Henry Okello
TORORO
Angry Spiro electric motorcycle riders in Tororo District on Thursday, 5th November, 2026 staged a protest, closing the Mile 8 Mbale Road battery-swapping station and storming Tororo Union offices over what they describe as inadequate and unreliable battery-swapping services.
The riders, visibly frustrated, cited a shortage of swapping stations compared to the growing number of electric motorcycles operating in the district, weak battery performance, and what they consider exploitative loan repayment terms.
James Oketcho, one of the protesting riders, said the limited swapping points and batteries that do not last long are disrupting their daily operations and affecting their earnings. He demanded for more swap stations to be urgently established.
“The stations are too few, the batteries don’t last. We cannot work like this,” Oketcho said.
The protesters have threatened to shut down all swapping stations and abandon the electric motorcycles if their concerns are not addressed urgently.
Some of the riders say they have loans to pay, yet they spend hours in long queues. They say they go to the swapping stations as early as 5am, only to leave at 10am because of congestion.
“We wake up early to hustle, but we spend the whole morning in the queue. By the time we get a battery, the day is gone, yet the loan must be paid,” one rider lamented.
The riders had also proceeded to Magodesi and Lwaboba, a neighbouring trading in Mbale District, to close the swap station in protest.
Responding to the riders’ complaints, Union Administrator Tororo Office, Dorothy Achieng, appealed to the riders to remain calm, assuring them that the concerns would be addressed.
She assured riders that the company has plans to add more swap stations in the areas of Iyolwa, Merikit and Nagongera to reduce congestion on the current swap stations.
By the time of filing this story, tension remained high at the closed stations as riders waited for the company’s response.
