By Nathan Eyagu 

Soroti City — The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Vice National Chairman for the Eastern Region and NRM parliamentary flag bearer for Soroti City West, David Calvin Echodu, has engaged boda boda transporters across the city at Nakatunya ward,Soroti City, pledging affordable motorcycle loans and broader reforms aimed at strengthening the transport sector.

Echodu, accompanied by several NRM party flag bearers, met leaders and members of the boda boda community in a dialogue focused on addressing long-standing challenges affecting riders, particularly high-interest loans, lack of institutional support, and limited access to government programs.

Speaking at the meeting, Moroto Municipality Mayor and NRM flag bearer, Muhammed Ismail Lotieng Odari, described Echodu as a national leader with the capacity to fast-track Soroti City’s development. Odari emphasized the central role of transport in service delivery, noting that meaningful development cannot be achieved without a well-supported boda boda sector.

Odari revealed that under proposed union-led financing arrangements, boda boda riders would be able to access motorcycles at subsidized costs, starting with an initial payment of UGX 250,000, followed by affordable installments. He said this model would shield riders from exploitative private lenders whose high-interest loans have left many transporters financially vulnerable.

Drawing on experiences from Karamoja, Odari cited Moroto Municipality as an example where boda boda unions have benefited from various government-backed programs. He urged riders in Teso to support NRM leadership, arguing that sustainable development should replace short-term cash handouts that entrench poverty.

In his remarks, Echodu called for unity and collaboration, describing his leadership bid as “new energy” for Soroti City West. He encouraged residents to assess leadership based on results and outcomes.

“Development requires teamwork and trust,” Echodu said, adding that the time had come for Soroti City to embrace a new approach to leadership and service delivery.

Echodu pledged that his team would work closely with boda boda leaders to establish a transporters’ office and ensure riders directly benefit from government programs, including access to low-interest loans and motorcycle financing. He described boda boda riders as key players in economic activity and community mobilization.

Representing the riders, Thomas Eusa, Secretary of the Soroti City Boda Boda Association, welcomed the engagement and expressed concern over high-interest loan arrangements that have pushed many riders into stress and financial instability.

Eusa noted that riders often 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 an office to coordinate boda boda affairs in the city.

The meeting concluded with boda boda leaders expressing optimism that closer cooperation with NRM leadership would lead to practical reforms and improved livelihoods for transporters, positioning the sector as a key driver of Soroti City’s economic transformation.