Masaka city leadership to close illegal taxi parks

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Authorities in the newly created Masaka city are to reorganize the management of the public transport.

Masaka is among the seven regional cities that started operations on Wednesday with the commencement of the 2020/21 financial year.

John Bahengana, the acting head of technical services in the new city says they have agreed to get rid of taxis operating from non-gazetted parks and on-street stages for purposes of restoring order in the city.

He indicates that town is currently in shambles due to the confusion created by the poorly managed transport sector and the several traders operating from all over the streets and main roads.

For many years now, all public transport vehicles have been operating from the roadside of Masaka town after the drivers abandoned the main taxi park arguing that it is far away from the main road.

But Bahengana says that all different categories people should get back to spaces that were gazetted for the respective works such that the city becomes orderly.

Musa Wamala, an executive member of the Masaka Municipal Development Forum; a stakeholders’ platform that links the community to the urban council leadership says that decision is long overdue.

He however challenged the interim leaders not to compromise with any groups of people in the enforcement of the preferred order.

Bashir Mawanda, the chairperson of Masaka United Taxi Drivers and Owners’ Cooperative Society-MUTDOCS, which manages public transport in Masaka has asked the city authorities to first engage them as key stakeholders such that they can harmonize positions other than taking arbitrary orders.

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