Impound Lots Spill Over
When boda rider Nabasa Deus was stopped by a policeman in Wandegeya in November last year, he was among the 85% of boda riders in Kampala who do not have a driver’s license, and he expected to negotiate a payment of perhaps 5,000 UGX — or if the cop was feeling tough, the 40,000 UGX that is required by law. Instead, the policeman seized his motorcycle and took it to Wandegeya Police Station, which is already completely packed with impounded motorcycles, and from where charges racked up over the next two weeks.
Eventually, Nabasa was forced to take a loan from a local money lender to the amount of 500,000 UGX, to pay for a fine of 100,000 UGX, parking fees, a “breakdown fee” despite the motorcycle being merely rolled 200 meters to the police post, and to repay several smaller loans Nabasa had racked up while he was without a livelihood.
“I have become a slave to the money lender,” said Nabasa. “If I try to add up the money that I will have paid by 5th February, it will be over 700k.”
In Kampala, there is a problem plaguing both motorists and the authorities — an abundance of impounded motorcycles parked at police stations and posts around the city, and it’s taking a major toll on boda riders’ lives. Kampala relies heavily on these boda bodas to navigate through the narrow and crowded streets, yet the drivers often violate traffic rules. Police action against rulebreakers, as well as the attraction of the fines that accompanies the arm of the law, has resulted in hundreds and sometimes thousands of motorcycles being stuck at police stations.
The police stations and posts especially those around Kampala city have found themselves facing an unexpected challenge — an overflow of impounded motorcycles. The vast compounds at most stations are filled to the brim with confiscated boda bodas. The situation has become so dire that some stations had to find alternative storage spaces, including walkways along roads near police stations and open fields.
The number of impounded motorcycles has increased exponentially. The authorities’ efforts to reform the unruly boda boda industry has only exacerbated the problem. The police stations have become overwhelmed, struggling to manage the influx of confiscated bikes. Mr. Kananura Micheal, the Traffic Police Spokesperson told Lubyanza that there is no formal record for the total number of motorcycles that are impounded by police throughout the country, but the numbers are increasing each year as reported by some police stations.
The impounding of motorcycles by authorities is due to various reasons such as traffic violations, accidents, lack of proper licensing, or illegal modifications. As a result, police stations are overwhelmed with impounded motorcycles, leaving limited space for newly impounded motorcycles — or anything else.
The situation has had a significant impact on bodas, who heavily rely on their motorcycles for their livelihoods. With their motorcycles impounded, many boda riders are left without a source of income and struggle to make ends meet.
Some bikes are confiscated by police while in good state but repossessed by owners in a sorry state. “My bike was impounded at Wandegeya police station, and I recovered it after close to two weeks; I found it with no power pack, no fuel, no horn, and the rear tyre changed — yet by the time it was impounded I had just fueled it with three liters of petrol,” said a boda guy at Makerere — Kikoni who asked to remain anonymous.
The process of reclaiming impounded motorcycles can be lengthy and bureaucratic. Bodas often have to pay fines, provide necessary documentation, and go through a rigorous inspection process before they can retrieve their motorcycles. This is often a financial burden for many bodas, especially those who are already struggling financially.
“The law requires that police conduct a public auction of impounded vehicles after six months but police really give it enough time, sometimes twelve or more months for owners to repossess them,” said Mr. Kananura Micheal. “Even before conducting a public auction, we advertise in newspapers for several days to alert owners because some of these vehicles are confiscated from non-owners,” he added. The traffic police spokesperson also told Lubyanza that the process of repossessing any impounded vehicle requires the claimant to have original documents of ownership.
The overcrowding of police stations with impounded motorcycles has also affected law enforcement. With limited space, police stations are finding it increasingly difficult to manage and store the impounded motorcycles effectively. This can lead to delays in processing and releasing impounded motorcycles, further exacerbating the hardships faced by bodas.
Public Voices
Lubyanza visited a number of people especially boda riders around Kampala city and they had a lot to share with us. Below are some of their views.
“Some motorists decide to abandon their impounded motorcycles at Police stations due to fear to be arrested by Police or pay heavy fines after finding out that the law is not in their favor after committing big traffic offences, like causing road crashes,” says Asiimwe Obedi a boda rider at Usafi boda boda stage in Kampala Central division.
“The direct victims of some impounded bikes seen parked at different police stations for ages do not have documents of ownership for those bikes,” said Matovu Emmanuel, a lubyanza rider who resides in Kawaala. “Through URA system, police should trace for the real owners.”
Hon Muwada Nkunyingi, an advocate and politician (Member of Parliament for Kyadondo East Constituency) had no kind comment to Police’s post made on 24th, December 2023 on “Uganda Police Force’s” Facebook page wishing the public a happy festive season. In his comment, Nkunyingi Muwada was concerned about a high number of impounded bodas, some of which are impounded by extortionists (not Police) yet most of these bodas are obtained on loan scheme.
The overcrowding of police stations in Kampala with impounded motorcycles has had a detrimental impact on motorists especially bodas, leaving many of them suffering and unable to work. It is crucial for the authorities to find long-term solutions to this issue to alleviate the hardships faced by victims and ensure the smooth functioning of law enforcement.
