Tolling on Kampala-Entebbe Expressway begins

TRANSPORT

Polling officially started on the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway on Saturday (January 8, 2022), with works and transport minister Gen. Katumba Wamala flagging off the operations.

The minister received his easy Upesi card for both his official vehicle and convy - and loaded amounts of money on the card to be able to use the route. He then commissioned the tolling operations by driving through the toll gate at Kajjansi, one of the three plazas.

The other two tolling plazas are at Busega and Mpala.

Wamala said the only cars exempted from tolling are the presidential convoy, ambulances and fire brigade.

He advised those without money to continue using the old road. Depending on the vehicle’s size, motorists will pay between sh2,700 and sh16,200 per trip.

Gen. Katumba Wamala displaying his electronic user card

Motorists need a Upesi card or they can pay sh5,000 per trip on the Kampala Entebbe Expressway. You can load an amount of money onto your card.

A trip is a single journey in one direction that starts from any of the three entry points on the expressway (Busega, Kajjansi or Mpala toll plazas), and ends at any of the three exit points (Kampala Northern Bypass/Busega, Kajjansi roundabout or Mpala interchange).

The official vehicle of Gen. Katumba Wamala going through the toll gates at Kajjansi

One user of the route, identified only as Haruna, spoke of how swift the process of getting a toll card was.

"Today, when we were getting a (Upesi) card, everything was very okay. The deployment at the station to assist people getting cards was at least cooperative. We managed to receive our card within a second," he said. 

Just in case you find yourself out of cash or don't have any on your card, there is route one can take to return to Kajjansi and use the old Entebbe Road.

The Kampala-Entebbe Expressway is a four-lane toll expressway under Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) linking Entebbe International Airport to Kampala city, Uganda's capital.

UNRA handed over the 26.2km expressway to Egis Road Operation to operate and maintain the expressway on May 24, 2021.

The road includes the 25km toll way section from Busega to Mpala and 1.2km along the Munyonyo Spur Road.

It is important to note that making u-turns, reversing and parking or stopping other than in emergencies is not permitted on the expressway.

Also ensure that you keep left always and only use the right lane to overtake.

In the buildup to today's (January 8) official start of tolling, UNRA, together with the operator, commenced the trial runs for toll collections to ensure robustness and reliability of the toll collection system.

A man buying a card

According to the official website of the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway, the electronic card shall be issued to motorists for free. 

"However, if the card is lost, damaged or stolen, the motorist will be required to pay sh20,000 for a replacement," says the website.

"Each user will be entitled to one free card, which will be identified by the name and phone number registered at the time of issuance and number plate for monthly and weekly users."