Arthur Greene
A recent study has shed light on the high level of sexual activity among Uganda’s motorcycle taxis, threatening to derail the country’s fight against HIV.
It is reportedly commonplace for “boda boda” drivers to receive sex from customers who are unable to pay for the taxi fare.
According to the survey conducted by Makerere University College of Education and External Studies (CEES):
- At least 12% of a sample of 281 riders admitted to engaging in transactional sex with customers who failed to pay their fares.
- 65.7% reported having had sex with more than one partner in the past 12 months.
- 23% had had multiple partners in the same period.
- 57.1% reporting that they did not use a condom at all in the six months prior to the survey.
Paul Birevu Muyinda, deputy principal at CEES, said the boda boda industry employs more than 50% of people aged 18-35 in Uganda.
Lillian Mbabazi, one of the conductors of the survey, told the Guardian: “Engaging with multiple sexual partners is a high-risk sexual behaviour, especially in the absence of condom use. It leads to sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, and unwanted pregnancies.
“It shows a need to educate young Ugandans to understand unsafe and irresponsible sexual behaviour.”
“The revelation from this study, that customers who can’t afford to pay for their service freely offer sex and a high proportion are actually engaging in risky sexual behaviours with multiple partners without a condom, is concerning,” Daniel Byabakama, head of HIV prevention at the Uganda Aids Commission, told the news publication.
“The HIV infections will definitely go up. The boda bodas need to know that HIV is still real and people are still contracting the virus.”
Some of the boda boda riders in Kampala spoke to the news publication about taking sex in lieu of a fare:
“What do you expect me to do with a client who can’t afford to pay the fee and offers you sex instead,” said one boda boda rider at Kyaliwajjala. “I can’t just let her go free. Of course I will have sex with her in exchange.”
Image source: @PiperBayard
