Taxis resume operations to compete with buses

By Vision Reporter  

Taxi operators under their umbrella body, Drivers and Conductors Central Association (DACCA) Tuesday called off a failed strike announced Monday.

DACCA chief, Christopher Mayambala said taxi drivers resolved to resume operations to compete with buses but maintain resistance of sh120, 000 monthly fees to Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).

“Taxis should go back on the roads as we continue to express our displeasure to KCCA about the monthly fees. We think it’s too high. We can afford sh70, 000.  We are also opposed to a proposal of working with a committee that has UTODA members,” Mayambala said.

According to Mayambala, Uganda Taxi Operators and Drivers Association (UTODA) failed to manage public transport in the city and should not be given another chance.

Taxi drivers on Monday went on strike protesting against sh120, 000 fees. They vowed not to pay the amount but KCCA officials and Police mounted check points at various city entry points and grounded vehicles which had not complied.

Their strike was meant to paralyze public transport but government and KCCA asked pioneer Easy buses and Rift Valley Railways to transport commuters at a much lower fare to the excitement of passengers.

Pioneer Easy Bus spokesperson, Connie Nankya said buses will continue operations on second day (Tuesday) until they receive communication from KCCA and government.

How Pioneer buses ended up on the road
The transport crisis that hit Kampala Monday has been a process that has come boiling overtime; ironically, in the full view and knowledge of the city authorities.

It began with the exit of the Uganda Taxi Operators and Drivers Association (UTODA) from managing taxi parks as KCCA embarked on streamlining public transport in the city.

UTODA had been in charge since 1993. However, although KCCA took over management of the parks, UTODA's rather unprecedented exit in January left a vacuum in the running of the city's public transport sector.

The problem was exacerbated by the endless fighting between KCCA executive director, Jenniffer Musisi, and Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago. The duo struggled over a contract awarded to Pioneer Easy Bus (PEB) Company in 2010 to operate bus services in the city.

While Musisi was for PEB to start operations on March 1 this year, Lukwago insisted the company's contract was invalid and that the city's streets are too narrow to allow commuter buses.

Meanwhile as the struggle continued, Mukono and Wakiso district leadership petitioned Parliament over PEB's contract, causing further delays. The pair sought a review of PEB's contract to clarify their share of the cake.

KCCA last week agreed to review PEB's contract but as the Authority prepared to enforce the sh120,000 monthly charges for taxis, Lukwago stepped in to block the move.

Taking a populist approach, the mayor sidelined with DACCA, a section of taxi drivers and conductors opposed to paying the sh120,000 monthly fees.

Musisi also declined to reduce the charges to sh70,000 as demanded by DACCA, arguing that the move would cost KCCA  dearly in revenue. And, as it has become his trademark practice, Lukwago called upon taxi drivers to go on a sit-down strike.   

Considering the background to this impasse, therefore, one can conclude that the transport crisis is embedded within the wider power struggle at KCCA.