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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The old taxi park will be reopened on October 20, even before completion of the renovation works, Kampala Capital City Authority- KCCA has resolved.
A report presented by Hakim Kizza, the Executive Secretary for Engineering and Works to the KCCA council on Thursday, indicates that the city executive committee had held a meeting with the technical staff and agreed to have the park reopened.
Renovation of the park started in May 2020 and was planned to be completed in three months. However, the renovations took longer than expected as a result of heavy rains, and COVID-19 lock down restrictions which delayed the planned reopening of the park. So far, the authority has completed works on the carpet, drainage system and steps.
Kizza says KCCA is expected to complete renovation of the administration office in the park, demarcate stages, kerb painting and erect a fence around the park within the remaining time ahead of reopening.
But, the Director for Revenue Collection Samuel Sserunkuuma who represented the Executive Director said that it would be tricky to open the park immediately since they need at least three weeks to complete the works. He says other works including installation of security lights will be done after resumption of operations.
The Resident City Commissioner Hussein Hud also asked KCCA to expedite the works. He said there were some taxi operators’ groups that were planning to disorganize KCCA plans but warned that no one will frustrate efforts to organise the work of taxi operators.
Meanwhile, a taxi driver who identified himself as Semujju stage says they had organized a protest today October 1, to forcefully bring their vehicles into the park because they are tired of being exploited on the streets.
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At least they have tried to pave and add some curbs and parking bays.
But they took long. In the time it took to make these improvements, they would have also added plastic mabati to cover the whole area, some concrete benches between the rows for waiting passengers, towers with powerful lighting, well designed public toilet facilities, permanent fixtures for changeable destination signs, and even some numbered bays and kiosks for vendors to rent space. This is a major economic hub well worth the investment, and it’s an important landmark that should be the pride of our city.
Anyway, this is a welcome improvement.
As in, this should really be an impressively well designed facility that is not only fit for purpose but also doubles as a tourist destination.
It should cause anybody and everybody who sees it to say, “Eh! Kampala has a lot of money!”
It should be a boastful demonstration of economic progress in our city to make us all proud.
This is major facility of national significance yet it makes the parking space at Lugogo Mall and Forest Mall look good.
It should be the kind of landmark facility that inspires its surroundings to style up.