The Traffic Police In Kasese Are A Most Interesting Lot, I Dare Say!
SIR— I wish to complain about the unbecoming traffic <br>situation in Kasese.
SIR— I wish to complain about the unbecoming traffic
situation in Kasese.
While the Police presence on the major routes is excellent,
it appears they have decided not to prosecute taxi operators who continue to act like
madmen.
Travelling on any road in Kasese shows that a lot needs to be done to bring law and order on the roads.
Taxi operators load 14-seater vehicles with more than
20 passengers.
Is it allowed by our Uganda Police to load passengers
dangerously on top of luggage on pick-up trucks?
Every time one travels
on the Kasese-Bwera Road
and the Kasese-Fort Portal Road, a police patrol vehicle
is parked at one point and five to six Police officers ready
to stop and check every passing vehicle.
I thank them for one thing: sympathising with passengers parked like sardines.
But the same question is asked: “Driver, why do you carry excess passengers?†I wonder why this question is asked over and over again for months? And the driver moves behind the taxi, a few words are exchanged, concluding laughter is heard between the Police officer and the driver, and
the journey continues.
This is a daily scenario. Mr Katumba Wamala, Inspector General of Police, are the Police on the highway patrol under instructions not to deal with anything to do with traffic offences?
My second concern is the big fleet of motorcycles without number plates operating
bodaboda transport in Bwera town.
Instead of registration numbers given by the Government,
they have markings such as
125, etc.
Any moment you can count over 10 bodabodas of the kind taking and bringing travellers. Yet 50 metres away, there is
a Police post.
For over a year, I have been watching these motorcycles.
My question is, is it proper
for a vehicle to be allowed
to do business when it is not legally registered?
If it got involved in an accident what would appear in
the Police officer’s records?
If it hit a pedestrian and ran, how would it be tracked?
Over to Maj-Gen Katumba Wamala
Name withheld
on request
situation in Kasese.
While the Police presence on the major routes is excellent,
it appears they have decided not to prosecute taxi operators who continue to act like
madmen.
Travelling on any road in Kasese shows that a lot needs to be done to bring law and order on the roads.
Taxi operators load 14-seater vehicles with more than
20 passengers.
Is it allowed by our Uganda Police to load passengers
dangerously on top of luggage on pick-up trucks?
Every time one travels
on the Kasese-Bwera Road
and the Kasese-Fort Portal Road, a police patrol vehicle
is parked at one point and five to six Police officers ready
to stop and check every passing vehicle.
I thank them for one thing: sympathising with passengers parked like sardines.
But the same question is asked: “Driver, why do you carry excess passengers?†I wonder why this question is asked over and over again for months? And the driver moves behind the taxi, a few words are exchanged, concluding laughter is heard between the Police officer and the driver, and
the journey continues.
This is a daily scenario. Mr Katumba Wamala, Inspector General of Police, are the Police on the highway patrol under instructions not to deal with anything to do with traffic offences?
My second concern is the big fleet of motorcycles without number plates operating
bodaboda transport in Bwera town.
Instead of registration numbers given by the Government,
they have markings such as
125, etc.
Any moment you can count over 10 bodabodas of the kind taking and bringing travellers. Yet 50 metres away, there is
a Police post.
For over a year, I have been watching these motorcycles.
My question is, is it proper
for a vehicle to be allowed
to do business when it is not legally registered?
If it got involved in an accident what would appear in
the Police officer’s records?
If it hit a pedestrian and ran, how would it be tracked?
Over to Maj-Gen Katumba Wamala
Name withheld
on request