Stage Guys Part I — Starting Stages
Moving around Kampala and all across towns in Uganda, groups of boda riders are hanging out next to shops, intersections, and wide spots in the road. Often in groups of five to fifteen riders, these are boda stages — places riders can rest and tell stories, as well as pick up and let off passengers.
Each stage has a committee and there is strong local acceptance; at the same time, their presence and legitimacy are often contested by city authorities and others. But how and why do riders decide to start hanging out at these spots in the first place?
There’s a wide variety of ways that boda stages form and there are many different forces pushing them to do so. In a somewhat ironic twist, the notorious boda association Boda Boda 2010 might have contributed to their formation.
When boda boda driving was growing in the 1990s and early 2000s, a significant number of boda riders were lubyanza — meaning they were driving around all day, looking for passengers, and without a fixed place to stay. People are always on the road looking for bodas, so it made sense to pick up passengers where they were most found. The widespread adoption of stages is somewhat recent — likely within the last 10 years, though sources are unclear.
Three basic forces have contributed to the creation of stages: the threats faced by lubyanza riders from a host of people, the opportunities available at places with lots of passengers, and the support network that formed at stages. We’ll get into the inner workings of boda stages at the next post; here, we’ll explore the threats and opportunities that push lubyanza riders to stay still, illuminated by stories collected by Geoffrey from boda riders themselves.
A Good Place to Eat
When people move around the city, there are places that hundreds of people visit daily, from which they need a ride back home. These can be markets, arcades, offices and bars, as well as the places that connect them, especially key intersections like Ntinda Junction or the Jinja Road roundabout.
Lubyanza co-author Geoffrey Ndhogezi had his first stage at Taawo Katimba, at the same time running a food stall at Usafi Market. Recognizing the opportunity of the thousands of daily visitors to the market, Geoffrey and other interested riders sought permission to start a stage from the owner of Usafi Market, Natooro Umar. Umar requested UGX 120,000 (~ $35) annually from the boda riders, after paying UGX 174,000 to join. Most riders make one-off payments to join stages, so the riders pushed back, telling him to make it a single payment of 400,000 shillings (~$110). Umar agreed and promised in return to provide them IDs, reflector jackets and a shade structure for them to rest under. Thus, the Usafi Market stage was born in 2013.
The original riders demanded that any new members pay the newly formed stage committee the entrance fee (which has varied over time) in a shared bank account, which Umar unsuccessfully argued against. The riders received IDs and reflector jackets, but the shade structure never appeared. Since then, Umar sold off the market to KCCA. The driver-led organization had sufficient influence and they were allowed to continue without significant disruption.
The creation of stages at popular areas can be more contentious.
CBS radio station, which hosts Radio Buganda near the Lukiiko, is so popular that it attracted not one, but two stages. Isma, who started driving as lubyanza, told us that the first CBS stage was set up to collect passengers visiting the radio station. Isma, seeing the demand in the area, decided to start a second one, Mwanga II Court stage, around a hundred meters away. The close proximity created tensions and the CBS stage called on Boda Boda 2010 to chase away the new stage, resulting in a street brawl and wounded riders. Mwanga II members fled, some of whom forced the police to get involved. The police came and pushed back against Boda Boda 2010 enforcers, protecting the Mwanga II riders and preventing any other retaliations against them. To maintain peace and stability, Isma registered the stage at the Boda Boda 2010 office. They remain side-by-side to today.
They Can Make You Stay By Force
The other main force behind the creation of many stages in Kampala has been, well, force. Under the Boda Boda 2010 regime of 2010–2017, enforcers roamed the streets checking riders’ IDs — if riders didn’t have Boda Boda 2010 IDs, enforcers might beat them, impound their bikes and demand exorbitant fees for their release. Yet the only way to get an ID was to have a stage that was recognized by Boda Boda 2010.
Even before the antics of Boda Boda 2010, the stage was regarded as a source of legitimacy for boda riders. Stanley, a veteran boda boda driver who started driving in 1993, had been a mechanic around Owino Market. Facing harassment from Kampala City Council officials, he left mechanic work and began driving lubyanza. Under Mayor Ssebaana Kizito (1998–2006), monthly registration stickers were required, and Stanley reported having to pay 12,000 shillings a month. The price for the sticker decreased over time until by 2004 the stickers were abandoned.
Once again exposed to harassment, Stanley was caught by an enforcer checking stickers near Kibuye roundabout. After extorting him for a bribe, the enforcer finally gave him “permission” to start a stage at the roundabout. He’s been based there for the past seventeen years
