Vandalising cars for parts, a thriving business in Bwaise
VANDALISING cars for spare parts is a mushrooming business in Uganda. Predominantly done in Bwaise, on Gayaza Road, the business begun mainly with culprits vandalising cars that were written off after being involved in accidents. Most had some useful parts that were later sold.
By Samuel Balagadde
VANDALISING cars for spare parts is a mushrooming business in Uganda. Predominantly done in Bwaise, on Gayaza Road, the business begun mainly with culprits vandalising cars that were written off after being involved in accidents. Most had some useful parts that were later sold.
The business now involves vehicles in sound mechanical conditions. Several factors, including a shortage of spare parts from Japan and Dubai and increased taxes on imported used spare parts are given as reasons.
Michael Musoke, one of the dealers in this business denies these allegations. “Whoever sells us a car, whether it was involved in an accident or not, gives us an original logbook among other supportive documents,†he says.
Musoke, however, does not rule out the fact that there might be unscrupulous vehicle dealers who may be stealing parts.
The Police in Kawempe came up with a policy that compels dealers to register all the cars they deal in as an intervention geared towards combating those who might be dealing in stolen ones.
Several questions remain unanswered though, as to whether the cars that were used as security to secure loans from banking financial institutions and money lenders do not find their way to vandalisers for a token.
Still, many vehicles with liabilities like those already issued with instant penalty tickets by the traffic Police whose fines have not been remitted to Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), while other owe parking company Multiplex, are also targeted.
The Traffic and Road Safety Act of 1998 says owners of written-off vehicles must surrender the number plates to URA for reconciliation, to avoid the temptation of placing the number plates on another vehicle.
Vandalising vehicle for parts has also picked up because of lack of check-points for locally used cars after abolishing the mandatory annual inspection of cars in the late 1990s.
Car parts such as engines and chassis/frames that are not supposed to be changed from one vehicle to another without the formalising process and notification of URA are being changed.
VANDALISING cars for spare parts is a mushrooming business in Uganda. Predominantly done in Bwaise, on Gayaza Road, the business begun mainly with culprits vandalising cars that were written off after being involved in accidents. Most had some useful parts that were later sold.
The business now involves vehicles in sound mechanical conditions. Several factors, including a shortage of spare parts from Japan and Dubai and increased taxes on imported used spare parts are given as reasons.
Michael Musoke, one of the dealers in this business denies these allegations. “Whoever sells us a car, whether it was involved in an accident or not, gives us an original logbook among other supportive documents,†he says.
Musoke, however, does not rule out the fact that there might be unscrupulous vehicle dealers who may be stealing parts.
The Police in Kawempe came up with a policy that compels dealers to register all the cars they deal in as an intervention geared towards combating those who might be dealing in stolen ones.
Several questions remain unanswered though, as to whether the cars that were used as security to secure loans from banking financial institutions and money lenders do not find their way to vandalisers for a token.
Still, many vehicles with liabilities like those already issued with instant penalty tickets by the traffic Police whose fines have not been remitted to Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), while other owe parking company Multiplex, are also targeted.
The Traffic and Road Safety Act of 1998 says owners of written-off vehicles must surrender the number plates to URA for reconciliation, to avoid the temptation of placing the number plates on another vehicle.
Vandalising vehicle for parts has also picked up because of lack of check-points for locally used cars after abolishing the mandatory annual inspection of cars in the late 1990s.
Car parts such as engines and chassis/frames that are not supposed to be changed from one vehicle to another without the formalising process and notification of URA are being changed.