Nakasongola district develops new parking yard for truck drivers

Nakasongola, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Nakasongola district taskforce on COVID-19 and the Engineering Brigade of Uganda People’s Defense Forces have embarked on developing a new parking yard for truck drivers. Migyera town in Nakasongola district is one of the known stopovers for cargo truck drivers along the Kampala-Gulu highway.

More than 100 truck drivers stop in the area for food, refreshments and recreational activities. However, they were recently banned from parking in the area and instead redirected to Wabinyonyi PWD grounds located at Kakundi trading centre in Wabinyonyi sub county.

The change came after more and more truck drivers tested positive to coronavirus disease –COVID-19, pushing Uganda’s caseload to 122 in recent days. Many of these had entered the country through Malaba from Kenya and Mutukula from Tanzania and allowed to proceed to their destinations before the release of their COVID-19 results.

Doctor Agaba Byamukama, the Nakasongola District Health Officer says that the district COVID-19 Task Force with support from Engineering Brigade from Nakasongola army barracks has now embarked on works to make the grounds habitable for truck drivers.

Byamukama adds that they intend to fence off the grounds, construct toilet facilities, extend power and water facilities, erect signposts and fumigate the area to make it habitable for the drivers.

The new parking yard will only be used as health break for truck drivers who will have to prepare their own meals in order to avoid person to person contact with the community.

On Monday, Nakasongola District Task Force and UPDF Engineering Brigade led by the Commander of Nakasongola Motorized Infantry Brigadier Charles Byanyima inspected the grounds to commence the works. But the residents of Kakundi village questioned why the parking yard is established near people rather than in an isolated place.

Wasswa Ssekyondwa Birigwa, a resident of the area says that the parking yard is so close to people’s homes and shops which might tempt the community to get in contact with truck drivers in order to sell refreshments.

Fred Kimeze, the LC 1 chairperson of Kakundi village says he has already talked to the District Task Force about the fears of the residents.

But Dan Muganga, the Nakasongola Resident District Commissioner says that they will deploy heavily to ensure the truck drivers don’t come into contact with any resident. Muganga added that the establishment of the parking yard at the trading centre was informed by the availability of public land and its accessibility to truck drivers.

The health ministry is launching on site testing at the Malaba and Mutukula border posts this week to ensure that truck drivers are tested from the borders and given instant results.

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