New boda boda  Union Model Takes Centre Stage as Odari, Echodu Rally Riders Behind NRM Development Agenda in Soroti City.

A proposed union-led boda boda financing model has emerged as the centerpiece of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) engagement with transporters in Soroti City, as Moroto Municipality Mayor and NRM flag bearer Muhammed Ismail Lotieng Odari and NRM Vice National Chairman for Eastern Region David Calvin Echodu rallied riders behind a development-focused agenda.

Addressing boda boda operators, Odari described Echodu as a national leader with the capacity to fast-track Soroti City’s development, urging residents to support leadership anchored in results rather than short-term cash handouts.

He said the proposed union model was designed to transform the boda boda sector into a sustainable economic pillar.

Under the arrangement, boda boda unions would directly manage access to motorcycles, enabling riders to acquire bikes at subsidized costs, starting with an initial payment of UGX 250,000 and followed by affordable, structured installments.

Odari explained that the model would shield riders from exploitative private lenders, whose high-interest loans have left many operators financially trapped and vulnerable.

Drawing on experiences from Karamoja, Odari cited Moroto Municipality as a practical example where boda boda unions have successfully benefited from government-backed programs, improving rider welfare and sector organization.

He encouraged boda boda riders in the Teso sub-region to rally behind NRM leadership, arguing that long-term, union-driven development initiatives offer a sustainable alternative to handouts that often deepen poverty.

Odari further emphasized that boda boda transport plays a central role in service delivery, noting that meaningful urban development cannot be achieved without a well-supported and organized transport sector.

Echoing this message, David Calvin Echodu, the NRM Vice National Chairman for the Eastern Region and parliamentary flag bearer for Soroti City West, called for unity and collaboration, describing his leadership bid as bringing “new energy” to Soroti City.

“Development requires teamwork and trust,” Echodu said, urging residents to judge leadership based on outcomes. He pledged to work closely with boda boda leaders to strengthen unions, establish a transporters’ office in Soroti City, and ensure riders directly benefit from government programs, including low-interest loans and union-managed motorcycle financing.

Echodu described boda boda riders as key drivers of economic activity and community mobilization, stressing that a strong union structure would enhance accountability, access to credit, and service delivery across the city.

Representing the riders, Thomas Eusa, Secretary of the Soroti City Boda Boda Association, welcomed the focus on union-based reforms but voiced concern over high-interest loan arrangements that have pushed many riders into financial distress.

Eusa noted that riders frequently lose their motorcycles to lenders when repayments fail, leaving families without livelihoods.

He appealed for structured support through officially recognized associations, rather than middlemen, and called for the establishment of a dedicated boda boda office to coordinate union activities and rider welfare in the city.

The engagement formed part of a broader outreach by Echodu, who recently met boda boda riders at Soroti Central Secondary School in Nakatunya Ward, Soroti City.

The meeting focused on long-standing challenges affecting the sector, including limited access to government programs, weak institutional support, and predatory lending practices.

Echodu was accompanied by several NRM leaders, including Isaac Orego, NRM flag bearer for Soroti City East, Sarah Inachu, NRM flag bearer for Soroti City Woman MP, and Francis Esudu, the NRM mayoral candidate, among others.

The meeting concluded with boda boda leaders expressing optimism that closer cooperation with NRM leadership and the adoption of a union-led financing model would deliver practical reforms, protect riders’ livelihoods, and position the boda boda sector as a key driver of Soroti City’s economic transformation.