What is the future for 800 Utoda employees?

While Utoda mourns losing management of the transport business to KCCA fearing that its team will be unemployed, the latter says the development will not affect anyone.

As Kampala Capital City Authority took a major step towards restructuring transport in the city, more than 800 people in the sector are at the verge of remaining unemployed.

Uganda Taxi Operators and Drivers Association (Utoda), which has been responsible for the transport business for the last 19 years, has been employing the number as taxi touts, drivers, conductors and an unmentioned technical team.

While addressing a press conference moments after KCCA had put on ground their enforcement team, Utoda chairperson, Hajji Musa Katongole, broke down in tears as he spoke to his former employees.

“We employ very many people, the ones gathered here are like three quarters of the total number of employees. These have families they must take care of, something KCCA is not looking into. Very many people are going to be affected,” Mr Katongole said. He added: “We have tried to engage all stakeholders to ensure that everything is put back in control.”

However, KCCA spokesperson Peter Kaujju said Utoda employees would not be affected in any way. “Utoda employs mainly drivers and conductors who shall still stay in business even as we take over control, so those cases of unemployment Utoda is referring to may not occur,” Mr Kaujju added.

Utoda, whose tender was dissolved on Tuesday by the High Court, was charging a daily operational fee of Shs4, 500 and a monthly sticker fee of Shs20, 000 which amounts to Shs155,000 at the end of every month, the same fee KCCA is charging.

With an estimated 7,000 commuter taxis in the city, Utoda was collecting over Shs1 billion monthly, out of which Shs392 million was paid to KCCA.
Utoda’s departure is expected to pave way for the introduction of buses to carry more passengers and decongest the city.

The first fleet of 100 buses belonging to Pioneer Easy Bus Company (PEBC) recently arrived at Mombasa Port. The then Kampala City Council commissioned the bus company in 2007 to take over major transport routes in the city and operate alongside commuter taxis most of which are privately owned by individuals in the short-term. “Buses and taxis will all operate within the city. There is no plan to kick out taxis although we have a long-term plan we are yet to unveil,” Mr Kaujju said.

The company, which has already constructed bus sheds around town, says contrary to fears that the switch to busses will lead to massive unemployment, they will instead create more jobs.

Mr Ondaki Mucunguzi, a company official, says PEBC plans to create at least 4,000 new jobs in the transport sector from drivers to conductors and ticket sellers. This will be done by partly switching from taxis to buses and new entrants, he adds.

In order to have 522 buses, the company says it will introduce a 24-hour schedule where between 1,000 and 1,500 drivers will be required and a similar number is expected to work as conductors.

akiyaga@ug.nationmedia.com