KCCA discourages taxi drivers from striking

By Juliet Waiswa    

Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) will continue engaging city drivers despite their intended Monday strike.

The drivers under the National Union of Drivers, Cyclists and Allied Workers (NUDCAW) are threatening to go on strike as they allege that KCCA has failed to solve their grievances.

The members are accusing the KCCA taxi governing body Taxi Parks/ Stages Coordinating Committee (TAPSCOM), saying that drivers are being arrested by TAPSCOM on charges that are unknown while others extort money from them.

“We have over 250 drivers and conductors who are in prison following false accusation from TAPSCOM,” the chairman NUDCAW, Abdallah Kitatta said during a meeting which was held on Tuesday in Ntinda.

Kitatta said that some drivers and cyclists have lost their jobs as a result of harsh treatment form TAPSCOM. 

Mustafa Mayambala, chairperson Driver and Conductors Central Association (DACCA) said the committee(TAPSCOM) which was put in place to directly coordinate activities between KCCA and taxi drivers has side-tracked  its mandate and is now extorting  money from taxi drivers from each stage ranging between  100,000 and 150,000.

“We are only supposed to pay sh. 120,000 to KCCA as monthly taxes but apart from this money, the committee gets more from us and when taxi drivers try to refuse, they threaten to impound our cars using KCCA’s name,” said Mayambala.

 However KCCA spokesperson, Peter Kaujju said that KCCA has engaged the different bodies to ensure that they can work together.

“We have had dialogue with the different groups and we want to ensure that they work together to create harmony. We know their problems and we do not encourage them to go on strike,” Kaujju said.

On the allegations that TAPSCOM arrests driver and conductors, Kaujju said that the affected persons should involve the police.

“I am not aware of any arrests,” Kaujju said.
 

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