Juba Boda-boda riders go against government order to halt operation

By Charles Lotara

Motorbike taxi operators in Juba, South Sudan, remain on the road despite orders by the government to suspend their services to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The streets of the capital Juba are busy with motorbike operators going about their business unperturbed by government warning.

Interviewed, a group of motorbike operators told The City Review Weekly that they can only heed the order if the government gave them an alternative source of income.

“It’s very hard for us to heed the order because they do not provide us with any other source of income,” said Oryema Bosco, who is based the Tongpiny Boda-Boda stage.

“We appreciate they (government) are trying to protect lives. However, they should also consider what happens to other groups of people when their businesses are affected,” Oryema lamented.

Earlier last week, the government deployed law enforcers to monitor and impound motorbikes. A number of operators were nabbed in the operation that did not spare owners who use the motorbikes for private business.

An operator who spoke on condition of anonymity told City Review Weekly that the measures by the government will not help much “as long boda-boda is the sole source of income for many families.

“Look at what is happening now. They are using whips and buttons to intimidate us. They will not succeed. This is what helps us put food on the table,” he said.

The government has placed some parts of the country under partial lockdown as means of slowing down the spread of the virus. Non-essential business entities were ordered to shut down, a directive that also affected the boda-boda business.

Critics want the government ease the restriction on boda-boda arguing that motorbikes are a safer means of transport that the minibuses.

 “The government got it right. However, I think they can do better for boda-boda riders. Instead of banning them completely, I think they should be compelled to wear face masks,” Taban Moses, former boda-boda rider who now drives minibus said.

“I am in a business which is quite similar to theirs and I know how it feels. Some of them rely entirely on this business for nearly everything. They do not have side hustles,” he added.