UTODA officials testify against KCC in private
Jul 21, 2007
THE Uganda Taxi Operators and Drivers Association and Kampala City Council health officials yesterday opted to testify in private to the commission of inquiry into corruption in the Kampala.
By Alfred Wasike
THE Uganda Taxi Operators and Drivers Association and Kampala City Council health officials yesterday opted to testify in private to the commission of inquiry into corruption in the Kampala.
District medical officer Dr. Mesach Mubiru and the Central Division medical officer, Dr. Livingstone Makanga, also testified in camera.
Later Mubiru said in the public hearing: “politicians frustrate our work when we are trying to set health standards in places like restaurants. The health and sanitation situation is very bad.â€
UTODA officials, led by the chairman and national treasurer, Haji Musa Katongole, the Rev. Ferdinand Atwine Ibabaza and John Ndyomugenyi, said they had defaulted payments of sh290m per month to the city council, but declined to reveal the actual figure in the presence of the media.
They had earlier denied defaulting on the payments but relented when the the commission, led by Irene Ovonji Odida, challenged them with evidence that they owed the council sh3.6b.
UTODA officials said they had sued KCC over the matter and revealing the figure in the presence of the media would jeorpadise their case.
On revenue collection, Katongole said: “We collect between sh400m and sh500m per month which is receipted and another sh40m which is recorded in our books at the stages where it is collected.â€
He complained that their revenue collection was hampered by the city council’s move to allocate the Old Taxi Park to another developer. “This has demoralised our people yet we applied for this tender a long time ago.â€
They were asked why their contract to collect revenue for KCC had been extended several times without advertisement for competitors, thus creating a monopoly. They denied that they peddle influence to have their contracts extended or that they have a secret force of kanyamas (muscled men) who extort money from people who use public transport.
UTODA received its first contract on June 1, 1997 and was required to remit sh240m. They signed a fresh contract from April 1, 2002 to September 30, 2003 for sh260m.
They got an extension to September 30, 2005 and the current one expires on October 30, 2010.
THE Uganda Taxi Operators and Drivers Association and Kampala City Council health officials yesterday opted to testify in private to the commission of inquiry into corruption in the Kampala.
District medical officer Dr. Mesach Mubiru and the Central Division medical officer, Dr. Livingstone Makanga, also testified in camera.
Later Mubiru said in the public hearing: “politicians frustrate our work when we are trying to set health standards in places like restaurants. The health and sanitation situation is very bad.â€
UTODA officials, led by the chairman and national treasurer, Haji Musa Katongole, the Rev. Ferdinand Atwine Ibabaza and John Ndyomugenyi, said they had defaulted payments of sh290m per month to the city council, but declined to reveal the actual figure in the presence of the media.
They had earlier denied defaulting on the payments but relented when the the commission, led by Irene Ovonji Odida, challenged them with evidence that they owed the council sh3.6b.
UTODA officials said they had sued KCC over the matter and revealing the figure in the presence of the media would jeorpadise their case.
On revenue collection, Katongole said: “We collect between sh400m and sh500m per month which is receipted and another sh40m which is recorded in our books at the stages where it is collected.â€
He complained that their revenue collection was hampered by the city council’s move to allocate the Old Taxi Park to another developer. “This has demoralised our people yet we applied for this tender a long time ago.â€
They were asked why their contract to collect revenue for KCC had been extended several times without advertisement for competitors, thus creating a monopoly. They denied that they peddle influence to have their contracts extended or that they have a secret force of kanyamas (muscled men) who extort money from people who use public transport.
UTODA received its first contract on June 1, 1997 and was required to remit sh240m. They signed a fresh contract from April 1, 2002 to September 30, 2003 for sh260m.
They got an extension to September 30, 2005 and the current one expires on October 30, 2010.