Life as a boda-boda driver

Damalie talks to a local boda-boda driver about his occupation and the dangers that he faces.

It is competitive, stressful, dangerous and exhausting being a boda-boda driver.

Every day the boda-boda driver competes for a few centimetres of space on roads choke-a-block with cars, vans, lorries, pedal bikes, motorcycles and a never-ending stream of people on foot, as well as dodging the many crater-size potholes.

Kampala traffic

Setting off on a journey in the capital Kampala you can never predict the time of arrival. Most of the roads are gridlocked.  Cars mount the edge of the road trying to squeeze their way past the gridlock while motorcyclists, many transporting sackloads of food, or wide planks of wood, weave their way in and out of the cars, finding that extra space to get an advantage over their contenders in the sprawl.

It is not a safe way to travel, but it is the only cheap way to get about.

Blackspot

Charles points out a blackspot, a sign identifying a particularly dangerous piece of road.  Signs such as this one used not to be on the roadsides. It was only when the vice-president's 26-year-old son was killed in 2010 in a car accident that the signs went up.