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President Yoweri Museveni has directed Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja to grant exclusive permission to businessman Metu Katabazi to run mass transit services for buses in Kampala and the surrounding towns.

In his letter to Nabbanja dated November 20, 2023, Museveni also directs that Metu should never be allowed to purchase buses from abroad and that in case he needs more, he should purchase them from Kiira Motors.

According to the letter, other players wanted to run that city bus service, even using locally fabricated buses.

However, the President says 'to further empower our manufacturing sector, it is better Metu does both-the fabrication and transport operation. Why? Two reasons; first of all, it gives him more cash for expanding our manufacturing; secondly do not forget that foreign service providers, transporters, in this case, externalise some of the money they earn in Uganda".

"Therefore, you have an actor that both produces the goods (vehicles in this case) and provides the services (transport), you should not miss such an optimal combination,” the President adds.

Metu Bus Industries builds buses at the Namanve Industrial Park in Kampala.  

There have been several attempts to introduce mass bus transport in Kampala including the Pioneer Bus and the Tondeka Bus Service.

The government's commitments with other bus companies

In March 2020, the proprietors of Pioneer Bus Company criticised the Government for not honouring their contract and instead choosing to inject money into a new bus company.

Appearing before the Parliament Committee on Tourism, Trade, and Industry on Tuesday, March 3, Albert Muganga, a director of Pioneer Easy Bus, said instead of the government working to fulfill its contract terms such as having priority lanes for the buses, it had chosen to inject more money into a new company, Tondeka Bus Service.

The government has committed about shillings 600 billion through the Uganda Development Corporation for the Tondeka Bus Service.

Muganga said while he is not opposed to another competitor, the private bus company should look for its resources.

“They are coming to government to get money; we are saying create a conducive environment and we inject our money. You don’t need money from the Government, you don’t have to fight anyone, just have an alternative means of transport and let the customers choose,” he said.

Muganga also urged the Government to first resolve outstanding issues that made the Pioneer Bus project fail.

“A bus would do 300km a day, but today it does only 100km. Most of the time you are in traffic jams; all we need is priority lanes,” he said.

Currently, all the 100 buses owned by Pioneer Buses are not operational and are parked at Namboole Stadium.

In September 2020, the first batch of Tondeka Buses arrived in Uganda. The transaction advisors, Ortus Africa Ltd said Tondeka Metro will begin operations in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan area, within a distance of 25 kilometres on all major roads leaving the city but nothing much came out of them except about three buses that still operate.

Solution to pollution

In April this year, National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) executive director Dr Akankwasa Barirega called for the introduction of mass transport that uses green energy in Kampala to reduce emissions.

According to Barirega, the move would greatly reduce air pollution in Uganda which is partly caused by emissions from the high numbers of vehicles.

Kampala, home to two million people, ranks among the world's most polluted cities, with pollution levels up to seven times higher than the World Health Organisation’s safe standards, according to the 2021 World Air Quality Report.

Barirega made the call during the inaugural Africa Air Quality Community of practice workshop and launch of the Clean Air Network on participatory air quality management in Africa led by the AirQo Project.

“Emission-free vehicles and electric motorcycles can reduce pollution. The Ugandan government is already spearheading the manufacturing of electric and solar-powered buses, which could replace matatus and Boda bodas, the local motorcycles, taxis which are big contributors of air pollution,” Barirega said.

Major sources of pollution in Kampala include dust from unpaved roads, wood fuel use, vehicle and industrial emissions, and open burning of solid waste, which is a significant health hazard.

Barirega revealed that NEMA is working closely with KCCA and Makerere University through AirQo to regulate industries to install air quality monitoring systems.

Kampala Capital City Authority has the mandate to develop regulations and laws that can help mitigate pollution.