KANUNGU – The Kanungu District Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Dr. Gad Ahimbisibwe Rugaju, has cautioned parents against entrusting their nursery and lower primary school children to boda boda riders without protective gear.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The RDC said this over the weekend while delivering his remarks at the burial of the late Rev. Canon Malaro in Rukarara Cell, Nyakatunguru Ward, Kihihi Town Council in Kanungu District.
Addressing mourners, Gad Rugaju noted that learners have been on a three-week holiday in line with the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) school calendar, and that serious teaching will commence on Monday, September 14.
He condemned the common practice where parents allow three to four small children to be piled on one boda boda, with some children made to sit on the fuel tank in front of the rider without jackets, sweaters or helmets, exposing them to cold wind and accidents.
“These are very young children whose lungs are still developing. When you expose them to early morning cold wind on a boda boda without jackets, without helmets, without any protection, they will contract pneumonia, get sick and die. Parents, please mind the lives of your children,” Dr. Rugaju warned.
The RDC called upon all Traffic Police Officers and the District Road Safety Teams to intensify operations and arrest, charge, and hold accountable any transport operators found putting students’ lives at risk.
He further urged parents to accompany children, especially those below 12 years and the girl child, to school and to check their luggage to ensure they do not carry alcohol, drugs or dangerous items.
Meanwhile, the Deputy RDC Gad Rugaju advised parents to always notify school administrators about their children’s health conditions and to establish the identity and registration number of the driver or boda boda rider transporting their children.
“Parents, know your child’s rider. Know the number plate, know the name, and inform the school about your child’s health condition. Don’t just put your child on any boda boda and go away,” Dr. Rugaju charged.
The warning comes as Police announce major enhanced safety measures ahead of the reopening of schools for the 3rd Term, aimed at preventing road crashes, traffic congestion, theft and other crimes that tend to increase as learners return to school.
The 3rd Term remains critical, especially for candidate classes, including Primary Seven (P.7), Senior Four (S.4) and Senior Six (S.6) candidates preparing to sit their Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) examinations and need ample time to prepare.
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