No deadline for vehicle inspection, says Works minister

Motorists do not have to throng Vehicle Inspection Stations in Kampala and Wakiso in central Uganda to have their vehicles inspected.

Transport Minister, Ms Monica Azuba Ntege, says reports that June 30 is the deadline are misleading.

“That deadline does not exist because it would mislead the general public to believe that after that day, they should either park their vehicles [at home] or have them inspected first,” she told Parliament on Thursday. [This] cannot be like the SIM [Subscriber Identity Module] card registration deadline.”

She said: “A deadline would cause unnecessary congestion at the inspection centres and compromise the quality of service...”
Parliament had summoned the minister to update MPs about the “deadline” for the inspection of vehicles.

In January, there were media reports that all motorists had up to June 30, 2017, to have their vehicles inspected and be issued with a certificate of inspection.
The reports indicated that vehicles that would not be inspected by then, would not be allowed on roads.

Motorists who would drive uninspected vehicles were to be fined Shs200, 000.

Motorists pay Shs Shs46, 000 for motorcycle inspection, Shs93, 000 for sedans to Shs125, 000 for minibuses.

In March, the government halted the inspections because there was just one inspection point at Kawanda on the Kampala Bombo Road.
Today, motorists take their cars to Nabbingo on the Kampala–Masaka Highway and another at Namulanda on Kampala–Entebbe Road.

According to the National Road Safety Council’s Secretary, Mr Ronald Amanyire, Uganda has between 800, 000 and 1 million vehicles on its roads.

It is not clear how many of those have been inspected by Société Générale de Surveillance, the Swiss company that was contracted by the Works and Transport ministry to carry out the inspection of vehicles.
Ms Azuba said compliance to regulations is routinely enforced by the Traffic Police.

“A deadline cannot be put in place for such roadside enforcement,” Ms Azuba said.

The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, told Ms Azuba to ensure that no more announcements about a deadline are made.
Although Uganda used to inspect vehicles, the government stopped the exercise in 1998.

This was against the backdrop of reports that the findings by the inspectors were subjective.
Then, unlike today, an inspector looked at a vehicle, and occasionally shook it a bit and to determine whether it is in good condition or not.
Today, the vehicles are subjected to a computerised diagnosis to detect defects.

“Motorists whose vehicles have not been inspected and issued with a certificate will be cautioned and told to have their vehicles inspected with effect from July 1.But, if a motorist is cautioned three times, definitely action will be taken. The vehicle may be taken off the road. If you are cautioned [three times] it means you are not willing to contribute to safety on the roads.” – Ms Azuba said.