Operation against numberless vehicles starts in Kampala

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | At least 50 vehicles without number plates on the roads have been impounded in Kawempe Division on the first day of the operation no numberless vehicle on the road.

Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said that the crackdown follows increasing vehicles without number-plates on the roads which is not only against the law but also, the same vehicles are mostly being used by criminals.

“We have intensified these operations on the road any vehicle without a number plate should not be on the road, some of these cars get involved in traffic offences, the  number plates are removed by police, in two days you still find these cars still on the roads, these are the same vehicles that tend to be used in criminal acts,” Owoyesigyire said.

Most of the vehicles impounded along Bwaise flyover on the northern-bypass were towed to Kawempe Police station, some of the drivers were seen pleading with the police officers, but in vain.

Some drivers whose vehicles were impounded decried police’s highhandedness without given a warning and the burden associated with recovering lost number plates these days.

Ssekajja Moses who drives a delivery vehicle in Kampala says that his number plate was plunked off by police officers in Mengo two days back due to unpaid express ticket.    He however, claims to have paid the same said ticket on 28th September, but the police system still shows him that he is not yet to clear the same penalty.

I have the receipts of the same said ticket, but whenever I try to recover my number plate from Police, they say they are still tying to understand whether there is a problem in their system, on my phone the it is still showing that i haven’t cleared this ticket, now I am here as a victim. Ssekajja stressed.”

But differently, Ivan Basalidde whose car was among the impounded vehicles in Bwaise coming from Wakiso district this morning, explains that his car number plates were stolen by thugs and now they call him asking  him to pay 500,000 to get back the number plate.

Although Ivan reported  these people to Police in Wakiso,  he says Police officers failed to track the thugs that repeatedly calls him demanding money, and vowing to steal the new one once he replaces the first one.

He is  like many others with police reference letters showing that their number plates were stolen and they are still being traced were all not listened to.

Alex Nuwagaba, another driver with an auctioned government vehicle from Uganda Law commission explains  the difficulties associated with chasing for new vehicle number plates once you lose the first one  these days.

But Luke Owoyesigyire says that only those who bring the right number plates are given back their vehicles and the operations will continue in other places within Kampala Metropolitan areas.

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