Kampala, Uganda: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Sunday marked his 81st birthday at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, in celebrations held alongside the inaugural Boda Union Festival and Expo.
Accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni, the President thanked boda boda riders for celebrating with him and assured them of government support to protect their livelihoods from exploitative lending practices.
“My agreement with the Boda Bodas is that it is criminal for someone to give you a rabbit and then demand a cow in return. Moneylenders give you Shs5 million and expect Shs15 million back. That is robbery,” Museveni said, describing high interest rates as “enemies of progress” that undermine sectors including agriculture and transport.
The President reiterated that government introduced the Parish Development Model (PDM) to provide low-interest loans to vulnerable communities. “If we give you Shs1 million, you pay back just Shs1,125,000 after two years. We have applied the same arrangement for the ghetto and now for the Boda Bodas,” he said.
He announced that the State House Comptroller, Ms. Jane Barekye, will certify all boda boda SACCOs to ensure accountability and prevent misuse of funds.
Maama Janet Museveni congratulated the President on his 81st birthday and urged Ugandans to embrace unity as the cornerstone of transformation.
“Africa was blessed with abundant resources, but we have remained poor because we fight among ourselves. When we unite, we will be unstoppable,” she said, adding that Ugandans must also “serve what we produce” to build wealth and self-reliance.
The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Anita Among also congratulated Museveni, praising him for making Uganda “the country everyone wants to live in” and for creating a conducive environment for the boda boda industry.
Boda boda leaders, under the United Riders Cooperative Union, hailed the President’s support. The group chairperson, Mr Frank Mawejje, said patriotism training at Kaweweta had helped riders manage their unions more professionally.
“Unlike in the past when SACCOs would collapse, we now employ accountants and lawyers to ensure proper management,” he noted, while calling for government action against moneylenders still confiscating riders’ National IDs.
Union Business Products Advisor Fred Ssenoga urged unity between taxi and boda boda sectors, revealing plans to establish “Union Villages” to help members own homes. He also appealed for a review of the Shs700,000 digital number plate registration fee, calling it unfair for riders to pay the same as luxury car owners.
Uganda Taxi Operators Federation (UTOF) Chairperson Sekindi Rashid requested the President to officially launch the new taxi park in Kampala and commended him for harmonizing the once-divided taxi industry.
The celebrations closed with renewed calls for unity, discipline, and innovation across Uganda’s transport and entertainment industries, with leaders pledging to build on the foundation laid by the President.
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