Police impound more 125 cars in Kampala

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police in Kampala Metropolitan area have impounded another 125 motor vehicles and 57 motorcycles for flouting rules on the movement directive put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The vehicles were reportedly moving without stickers or when the stickers don’t correspondent with the particulars of the occupants of the car.

Speaking at a daily press briefing at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala on Friday, Fred Enanga, the spokesperson of the police said the crackdown was necessitated by an increase in the number of vehicles on the road in some areas causing even traffic jams.

Enanga also revealed that they had arrested an ISO operative Steven Ariong attached to the Ministry of Works and Transport for conniving with other people to print more stickers which he has been selling between Shs 150,000 to Shs 300,000.

“That’s why we have been seeing an increase in the number of vehicles on the roads. We urge those who got those forged stickers not to use them or they should bring them to us,” said Enanga.

Army spokesperson Brig. Richard Karemire, called upon people to stop flouting the rules and work with security to help defeat the coronavirus.

“We want to keep every Ugandan alive, we don’t want to register any deaths, this work requires total participation of everyone. Everyone must comply and accept a temporary inconvenience to tame this disease,” said Karemire.

The Army spokesperson said the military might also be tempted to use modern surveillance equipment in order to stop people from infiltrating the borders from neighboring countries.

“We need to undertake all these measures that have been taken by the government to avoid the spread of the virus. But then the porous borders remain a big concern, we want the public to be extremely vigilante and report infiltrators to local councils, the GISO, or district security committee members,” said Karemire.

For his part Frank Baine, the Uganda Prisons Services spokesperson said that yesterday 73 people were remanded to prison for flouting government directives on the fight against COVID-19. “Unfortunately the majority are youth; we shall keep you and help you to have an ideological orientation,” said Baine.

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