KCCA sets tough conditions for new taxi contracts

By Juliet Waiswa

TWO days after announcing new charges for taxi operators, over 1,000 taxi drivers and operators have paid Kampala Capital City Authority’s (KCCA) new rates.

The drivers have fully paid their February dues as required after KCCA’s takeover of the management of the parks.

“We have received information from banks that 1,000 drivers had paid by Wednesday evening and expect 2,000 to have paid by Thursday,” KCCA’s public relations officer, Peter Kaujju, said.

Kampala High Court on Monday dismissed a case filed by the Uganda Taxi Operators and Drivers Association (UTODA ) blocking KCCA’s takeover of the parks.

Court ruled in favour of KCCA. Yesterday, UTODA filed another case to repossess the parks, but by press time, details were not available.

KCCA’s executive director Jennifer Musisi on Tuesday announced new rates for the drivers, totalling sh155,000. This includes the monthly charge of sh20,000 and a daily fee of sh4,500.

Musisi said payment of the dues would be made directly to six banks and that the new system aimed at streamlining revenue collection.

She said the system would end fraud and cases of harassment during the collection of daily dues as previously reported by some taxi operators.

Some drivers that Saturday Vision talked to welcomed the new system, saying it did not involve harassment.

KCCA has made various changes in the running of the parks and set new conditions on how the contracts will be handled.