Uganda’s busiest roads just got a major tech upgrade. MTN MoMo and the Uganda Boda Boda Riders Union have launched Code Yo, Maali Yo, a nationwide push to turn the country’s cash-heavy boda boda industry fully digital.
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The idea is simple but powerful: every rider gets a unique MoMo Boda Code. Passengers scan or enter it, pay with mobile money, and the money lands in the rider’s account instantly. No fumbling for change, no carrying stacks of notes, no awkward “I only have a 50k” moments.
Maali Yo to reduce risks
Boda bodas move millions of Ugandans every day, yet the sector has remained stubbornly cash-based. That means riders face daily risks of theft, counterfeit notes, and zero financial records. Code Yo, Maali Yo flips the script.
Riders who use their MoMo Boda Codes get:
- One free withdrawal every day
- Daily cashback based on transactions
- A growing digital money trail that can help them qualify for business loans
Customers pay zero transaction fees and stand a chance to win rewards. Safety goes up, convenience goes up, and both sides walk away happier.
This isn’t MTN MoMo’s first ride into cashless transport. Earlier this year the company enabled digital payments on Kampala’s Kayoola EVS electric buses. Code Yo, Maali Yo takes the same mobile-money tech and scales it to the much larger, more informal boda network.
Voices from the launch
At the Kampala launch on 5 August 2026, Phrase Lubega, Managing Director of MTN MoMo Uganda, put it clearly:
“A MoMo Boda Code is more than a payment tool. It is a business tool. It helps riders serve customers better, manage their income more efficiently and participate more fully in Uganda’s digital economy.”
Hon. Kyofatogabye Kabuye, Minister of State for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, called the partnership a smart public-private step toward modern urban transport.
Frank Mawejje, Chairman of the Uganda Boda Boda Riders Union, was even more direct: the deal cuts cash risks, solves the change problem, and gives riders a financial footprint they can actually use to grow.
How the rollout works
MTN MoMo and the union signed an MoU covering rider training, mass onboarding onto the Boda Code platform, and a heavy awareness push. Expect stage activations, roadshows, market visits, and community outreach across the country. The goal is simple: make scanning a MoMo Boda Code as normal as hopping on the bike itself.
In a country where mobile money already powers so much of daily life, Code Yo, Maali Yo feels like the logical next leap. Cash is slow, risky, and invisible to the formal economy. Digital payments are fast, safer, and open doors to credit and better financial tools.
Uganda’s boda riders keep the nation moving. Now the tech is finally catching up to them — one code at a time.
