Lives in crisis: How Bodaboda crashes leave families in ruins

Complications during her pregnancy forced her to quit her job at a pharmaceutical shop, leaving the family without an income.

“When my husband died, everything changed. He provided for everything—food, school fees, and insurance.

Now, my daughter no longer attends the private school she was in,” Mariam explains. Her husband had started building a house in Kisemvule, Mkuranga, but three years later, little progress has been made.

“We’ve become dependent on relatives and have turned into beggars,” she adds.

Another victim, Peter John, a 39-year-old Bodaboda operator, faces a different struggle. In May 2024, he was involved in an accident in Buguruni, Dar es Salaam, breaking his left leg while avoiding a pedestrian.

The injury has left him bedridden and unable to work.

“My family depends on me for everything, but now I can’t earn. I had to use all my savings to get by,” Peter says.

Peter has four children, three in primary school and the eldest having just finished secondary school. Without his income, he can’t even afford bus fare for his children.

His wife, popularly known as Mama Wawili, now takes small jobs to provide food for the family.

The accident has hit the family hard, with over Sh200,000 spent on Peter’s treatment.

Without health insurance, they continue to face mounting medical costs, adding to their financial strain.

Meanwhile, Peter’s father, who travelled for medical care, remains stuck at home due to lack of support.

The impact of Bodaboda accidents extends beyond individual families.

Motorcycle accidents in Tanzania place a heavy burden on the healthcare system, consuming a significant portion of the national health budget to treat accident victims.

According to the 2024/25 ministry of Health budget report, road crashes were among the most increased outpatient diseases (OPD), rising by 8.1 percent to 21,927 cases by March 2024.

The ministry highlighted how these accidents raise costs for the government, citing the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) as an example.

Road accidents are categorised under non-communicable diseases. In the 2015/16 fiscal year, this category accounted for Sh24.4 billion, or 12 percent of all payments.

By 2021/22, it had risen to Sh99.8 billion (15 percent), and in 2022/23, the amount further increased to Sh137.8 billion (19 percent).

Additionally, the loss of lives and permanent disabilities resulting from these accidents diminish the country’s workforce, negatively affecting national productivity.

Mariam and Peter’s stories are just two examples from a larger community affected by Bodaboda accidents.

Many, like Mariam, have lost loved ones, while others, like Peter, suffer serious injuries that permanently alter their lives.

Whether as passengers or operators, countless Tanzanians have had their lives disrupted by these accidents.

Police data shows that 376 people died in motorcycle crashes in 2023, a 13.3 percent increase from the previous year, with 381 more injured.

This means, on average, at least one person died and another was injured every day due to motorcycle crashes in 2023.

According to the 2023 Police Report on Crime Statistics and Road Safety Incidents, a total of 435 motorcycle crashes were reported, down from 448 in 2022.

Questions remain: What impact did the loss of those 376 lives have on their families?

How are the 381 injured coping with life—are their stories similar to those of Mariam and Peter?

That’s just for one year—what about for the last 10 years or more?

The police attribute these accidents to various factors, including a lack of road safety education, failure to follow traffic rules, defective vehicles, poor infrastructure, drunk driving, and negligence.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Status Report on Road Safety in the African Region 2023, the most vulnerable road users—pedestrians, cyclists, and users of two- and three-wheel vehicles—account for 50 percent of road traffic fatalities.

The African region also has the highest proportion of pedestrian fatalities at 33 percent.

The report noted that “evidence suggests that cyclists and powered two-wheelers (motorcyclists/moped operators) are perceived to be the least safe of all transport modes. Thus, promotion of walking and cycling must be carried out in a context where their safety is specially protected.”

Health issues also arise from these accidents.

The Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI) treats approximately 700 road accident victims each month, with 60 percent of these cases resulting from Bodaboda accidents.

“Most of our patients are victims of motorcycle accidents, either as passengers, operators, or drivers of other vehicles involved in collisions with motorcycles,” said Acting Director of MOI, Dr Lemeri Mchome, during a press conference in July 2024.

He added that 75 percent of these victims suffer injuries to their arms and legs, often requiring expensive medical equipment and long recovery times.

The police force has outlined several strategies to reduce accidents, including speed regulation, frequent road inspections, penalising violators, and educating road users on safety.

They also aim to ensure that vehicle owners hire skilled, responsible drivers and regularly inspect their vehicles.

However, while these measures address road safety, many, like retired teacher Reuben Masanja, believe creating more job opportunities for the youth will help reduce the number of Bodaboda accidents.

“We need to create more employment opportunities. Many of these young people wouldn’t be riding motorcycles if they had better jobs,” Masanja explained.

In 2024, the government announced new job openings in sectors such as education and healthcare, offering hope that more young people will find stable employment outside the dangerous Bodaboda industry.

But until more opportunities are created, families like Mariam’s and Peter’s will continue to suffer from the harsh consequences of motorcycle accidents.