KCCA impounds over 70 taxis

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA has impounded more than 70 taxis for operating in ungazetted areas in Kampala.

Since Monday, KCCA has been cracking down taxis operating on Burton street, Copper complex and Nakivubo mews among other areas.

According to KCCA Ddeputy spokesperson Robert Kalumba, taxi operators were told to stick to their provided stages in parks and not to operate on streets but some defied the directives.

KCCA gazetted eight parks in Kampala. They include Old, New, Natete, Nakawa, Usafi, Namayiba, Kisenyi and Namirembe.

Katumba says the authority wants to ensure orderliness in the city and cannot allow taxis parking in non-gazetted places. During the operation, several taxi operators were also arrested.

Joseph Ssemata the chairman of Ggaba stage in the Old taxi Park says that 18 drivers were arrested and their taxis impounded during an operation on Tuesday. They were found with taxis parked at Burton street outside the Old Taxi park.

Ssemata insists that their route chart indicates that they exit the city through Burton street and hence cannot go to Usafi or Kisenyi park.

Mustafa Mayamba the Chairman of Uganda Transport Development Agency-UTRADA argues that taxis from Old taxi Park cannot fit in the other taxi parks in town. He says that when KCCA was renovating the new taxi park, they had more space to place taxis for instance, the Namirembe and Namayiba parks that were by then not yet well-established.

He says KCCA should permit taxis to operate on three streets, Burton street around Aponye mall, Channel street and Nakivubo mews opposite Owino market as renovations of the Old taxi park continue.

When KCCA started renovating the Old Taxi Park, they said they would relocate some taxis to the existing parks. KCCA would also create terminals outside to act as waiting areas.

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