Yesterday, public transport with the exception of boda bodas resumed work after more than two months of being grounded following President Museveni’s directives to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Passengers were excited hoping they would finally have cheaper means of transport to leave the places where they had been locked down, but that hope diminished when they realized only a handful of taxis resumed work.
The biggest number of taxis failed to return to work and some of the few that did were impounded by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) enforcement officers for failure to get route charts and other requirements the Authority spread out in their subsequent announcements. This had many passengers stranded on stages and in parks whereas others had to walk to their destinations.
This morning, Kampala Central Member of Parliament Muhammad Nsereko has blamed KCCA for this mess up. Nsereko said that as KCCA plans to regulate public traffic in the city, the plan should be nationwide because some taxis access the city from longer routes.
“The plan for taxis should be nationwide. KCCA cannot make a plan for Kampala without considering those vehicles coming from as far as Lyatonde. If Kampala and other areas have different licensing options, it creates confusion,” Nsereko said while appearing on NTV Uganda this morning.
He added, “Why was KCCA receiving money in form of taxes from taxi operators whose vehicles were not PSVs? They are busy paving way for buses by oppressing these individuals. We have no problem with the busses but they are not as flexible as the taxis.”
Nsereko bases his argument on the proposed introduction of buses for town service in the city, and have taxis limited on specific routes.