Rickshaws throw lifeline for thousands in Mogadishu

Besides minibuses, known by Somalis as caasi, the other major means of public transport in Somalia are rickshaws. Commonly known as bajaj, the three-wheeled vehicles first appeared on Somali roads in 2013. They have since grown to be the most preferred means of intra-city transport in the capital Mogadishu with the minister of transport and civil aviation putting the official number of bajajs operating in the city at around 40,000.

Preferred by commuters for their ability to navigate through the city’s small and rough streets and for their relatively low cost, bajajs have become more popular among the city’s dwellers.

The high demand for bajajs has encouraged thousands of unemployed young men in Mogadishu to venture into driving these three-wheeled vehicles. As a result, thousands depend on bajajs for their livelihoods. Despite the pros that come with the business, it also has its cons.

An economic lifeline for thousands

Abdiwali Sayid, an independent researcher on Somalia’s social affairs, believes that the introduction of bajajs has created thousands of jobs in the Horn of Africa nation.

“If we take the government estimates that 40,000 bajajs operate within Mogadishu, and we assume that each driver has a family made up of roughly five people, it means at least 200,000 people directly depend on bajajs for their livelihoods,” Sayid told Somali Signal.

He continued, “Bajajs also contribute to the general economy of the city as they enhance the movement of people and goods within the city.”

For Aweis Ahmed, a senior researcher at the Somali Public Agenda (SPA), the economic benefits of bajajs are multifaceted.

“Bajajs do not only act as sources of income for jobless graduates and the uneducated youth, there are dealers with spare parts, mechanical engineers, port officials, customs officials, and delivery services providers and others who benefit from the booming bajaj industry,” Ahmed told Somali Signal.

Safety of citizens

The economic benefits of the bajaj industry are also believed to contribute to the safety of citizens and the country’s security.

Fifty-year-old Abukar Farah has been driving bajaj for years. He believes bajajs have been lifesavers for many in Mogadishu.

Besides creating jobs for thousands, “bajajs have prevented many youths from undertaking perilous journeys to western countries with the help of smugglers,” Farah told Somali Signal.

Dozens of Somalis die every year while attempting to irregularly travel to western countries, a process commonly known by Somalis as tahriib.

Endorsing Farah’s viewpoint that bajajs reduce tahriib, Sayid added that the business reduces the chances of unemployed youth being lured to join criminal groups that threaten the security of the country.

According to Ahmed, the SPA senior researcher, commuting with bajaj is safer, especially for women who can attend night weddings with their jewelries and can carry their laptops to work or college at a time when Ciyaal Weero youth gangs have been terrorizing the city.

The drawbacks

As much as bajajs have benefits to the public, they also have their own drawbacks. One of the main drawbacks is the heavy traffic and road accidents they cause.

Farah blames young bajaj drivers for causing the disruption of traffic along the roads. “Young bajaj drivers tend to be reckless when driving, overspeed, break traffic rules, and drive while intoxicated,” he said. “That is why we have heavy traffic and road accidents.”

While walking along the roads of Mogadishu, you can spot boys as young as 15 driving bajajs. Obviously, they do not have licenses which forces them to speed when they approach police posts or change routes.

Sayid contends that young inexperienced drivers tend to be a major cause of accidents and traffic disruption and wants the government to implement strict traffic rules to manage this chaos.

For his part, Ahmed blames the government for not rehabilitating and modernizing the city’s roads.

“It is not the fault of bajajs that there is heavy traffic on the roads,” he argued. “The government has neither rehabilitated nor expanded outdated roads that have been functioning since the 1980s when the population of Mogadishu was around 800,000 people as opposed to more than 2 million people now.”

Environmental concerns

Environmentalists have also raised concerns about the hazardous effects bajajs have on the environment.

Abdilatif Hussein Omar, founder and executive director of Action for Environment, said bajajs are a major cause of pollution in Mogadishu.

“Unlike minibuses which carry more than a dozen passengers at a go, one bajaj can only carry a maximum of three passengers at a go making them more on the roads, hence, making them major contributors to air pollution and carbon emissions that are harmful to the climate,” Omar told Somali Signal.

He also blamed bajajs for causing noise pollution by playing loud music and unnecessary hooting.

He added, “Because of poor infrastructure, most bajajs become inoperable after two years and end up being abandoned, thus becoming a serious environmental hazard.”

What next?

Although bajajs have economic, security and social benefits to many Somalis, their drawbacks have triggered calls among the public and environmentalists for better management of how the vehicles operate.

One way the government can address this, according to Ahmed, is to ensure strict traffic laws, remove roadblocks that limit the number of active roads, and modernize the roads.

Omar, for his part, urged commuters to use minibuses or walk if they can instead of taking bajajs. He also called for bajajs to be lined up and take turns when using major roads to reduce traffic congestion and pollution, while emphasizing the importance of awareness among bajaj users on the hazardous effects the pollution has on the climate.

In her recent interview with VOA Somali, Fardowsa Osman Egal, Somalia’s Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, acknowledged the safety and environmental effects of bajajs and pledged that her government will address them.

For their part, bajaj drivers have complained of being bullied and killed by security forces. Although there are no official statistics, Mogadishu has seen a surge in killing of bajaj drivers by the security forces, the latest being early this month.

In his recent address to the media on the issue, the Banadir regional police chief Mahdi Omar Mumin urged the security forces to respect the rights of bajaj drivers as citizens of the country.

“You have tormented bajaj drivers,” Mumin said. “The number of those driving bajaj is more than 70,000 and more than one million depend on them. You need to respect them … I do not want to hear another case that a bajaj driver has been killed.”

Shakir Mohamed Abdullahi is a blogger and digital content creator.

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