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Luweero, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Luweero DPC and RDC have rejected an appeal to block new taxi drivers who secured route charts to ply the Kampala-Gulu highway.
On Thursday a section of leaders of taxi drivers plying the highway appealed to Luweero Resident District Commissioner Phoebe Namulindwa, District Police Commander Abraham Tukundane and traffic police officers to stop new taxi drivers from plying along Kampala-Gulu highway.
The taxi drivers argued that the exercise of issuing route charts by Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA and Ministry of Works and Transport was mismanaged which led to the issuance of route charts to wrong drivers.
Dan Kyobe the chairperson of Luweero Town Council Taxi Management Committee explains that taxi drivers from Kampala city secured route charts to ply along Kampala-Gulu highway yet they were initially not operating there.
Kyobe accused the new taxi drivers of allegedly engaging in criminality along the road and breaching the standard operating procedures set by Ministry of Health. He expressed fears that the new taxi drivers may cause accidents since they don’t know the black spots on the highway.
Lawrence Kaweesi the vice chairperson of Nakaseke stage at Namayiba taxi park in Kampala cites a taxi which was involved in stealing passengers goods but it was found among the new taxis with route charts that ply the highway.
Kaweesi adds that the new taxis have no permanent stages where you can trace them and this has made it difficult to register complaints against them.
Daniel Saturo a driver said that KCCA and Ministry of Works erred to issue route charts to drivers without consulting local leaders.
The leaders asked the RDC and police to impound the new taxi drivers to restore sanity along the road.
But Abraham Tukundane the Luweero District Police Commander said traffic police can’t impound the taxis because the route charts were legally issued to the drivers.
He however noted that they will impound taxis and charge drivers if they commit traffic offences along the road.
Namulindwa, says that every driver has the right to work anywhere as long as they are operating according to the law.
Namulindwa has advised the drivers to petition the Ministry of Works and Transport to resolve their grievances in cases they suspect some wrong elements obtained the route charts.
According to KCCA, route charts were introduced as one of the plans to improve public transport in Kampala and other routes.
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