It was a Saturday, the day started off like any other. The sun shone bright and the birds were singing as he opened the windows to let in the morning freshness. He went about his morning business as usual. But that would all change when Bryan decided to take a boda boda to work.
Done with his morning business and all set for work, he rushed out of his room quickly locking the door behind him as he headed for the gate. No sooner had he set his foot outside the gate than the boda boda guys at his local stage beckoned him; they always seem like predators lurking in the shadows waiting for the opportune time to pounce on their prey.
He nodded in acknowledgement.
Two of the guys on the stage raced out, leaving behind a large cloud of dust as they tried to outrace each other.
Meanwhile, Bryan impatiently stood there waiting as his thoughts slowly drifted away from the events of the moment. He seemed to gaze far beyond the unfolding events. Actually, the previous day, he had been warned about his late coming and he certainly could not afford to be late again. Every second that ticked away, he seemed to die a little inside. He just could not wait to mount the boda boda and dash off to work.
He was brought back to reality by the hooting.
Without even bargaining, he just jumped onto the back as he shouted out his destination to the rider. They were ready to hit the Kampala dusty roads. It was a bumpy ride for the start until they cornered onto the main road.
And off they went. Steadily pacing up. They soared through the streets and made turns like a pro at the grand prix, overtaking cars one after the other. They squeezed through every little space they could find as they tried to beat the jam.
Then the unexpected happened…
As the boda boda guy tried to make a quick turn onto the next junction, a speeding van appeared on the same road forcing him to come to a screeching halt, skidding off the tarmac and ramming into the van. If it had not been for driver’s van agility, Bryan would not have been so lucky that morning. He only bruised his elbow and rib side and also got a minor superficial cut on his face.
Not many people usually get as lucky as Bryan was that morning. Bryan’s story is just a like a drop in the ocean, there are millions of other untold stories.
Most people have experienced worse. A number of people have ended up in wheel chairs, crippled for the rest of their days. Others have met their demise, leaving a huge void in the heart of their loved ones. That is how far reaching, the recklessness of boda boda guys is.
Despite, all such experiences and haunting memories, these are guys we can’t seem to live without!
How will you make it on time to work if you forgot to set your alarm and woke up late? How will you deliver that document across town and be back to your office as quickly as possible? What will you do if your car breaks down and you can’t get a mechanic to fix it in time?
One way or the other you will need the services of that boda boda guy. They are more like a necessary evil.
Sometimes, it’s we that fuel their recklessness, we are often so much focussed on getting to our destination as fast as possible that we subconsciously encourage these guys to ride on, faster and faster, we urge them, pretty much disregarding the imminent danger.
On other occasions, we are just abit reluctant to tell the guys to slow down. Hardly, have I seen a passenger caution a rider about speed before they mount onto the back of that motorcycle. It is rather a common sight to see people grit their teeth, clench their fists and shut their eyes like they are under some sort of captivity.
Funny, if you ask me because you act like you were forced to take that ride. You forget you are paying for the service; you should choose how you want to be ridden unless of course you hitched a ride or something. You are the boss here and you need to reaffirm your position every now and then if you are not comfortable with how you are being ridden around. In any case, it’s your life that is at stake here.
That sigh of relief should not because you could not wait to finally get off the boda boda but because you actually got to your destination. Your life is so precious; don’t throw it to the wind because you could not say STOP!
