13 injured as KCCA enforcers battle drivers over illegal stage
Kampala Capital City Authority law enforcement officers arrest a taxi operator near Clock Tower yesterday. Transport business around the Clock Tower junction was briefly paralysed following a scuffle between KCCA officers and taxi drivers who had returned to the closed stages. PHOTO BY MICHAEL KAKUMIRIZI
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However, the taxi drivers, many of them clad in the NRM T-shirts, refused to budge, pelting the KCCA enforcement officers and police with stones.
KAMPALA-Traffic near the Clock Tower junction was yesterday paralysed for several hours following a scuffle between Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) law enforcement officers and taxi drivers operating at a stage considered illegal by the city authority.
The Clock Tower stage was declared illegal by KCCA and taxi drivers operating in the stage relocated to Usafi Park. However, some of the taxi drivers returned to the banned stage.
KCCA enforcement officers stormed the illegal stage in the morning and ordered the taxi drivers to leave but they refused. This prompted the KCCA enforcement officers to return in the afternoon accompanied by police in riot gear to forcibly remove them from the illegal stage.
However, the taxi drivers, many of them clad in the NRM T-shirts, refused to budge, pelting the KCCA enforcement officers and police with stones. The police retaliated by firing rubbers bullets and tear gas to disperse the rowdy taxi drivers.
At least 10 taxi drivers and a police officer sustained injuries and more than 30 drivers were arrested.
The aggrieved drivers claimed KCCA had failed to find them a suitable park to operate from, which forced them to return to banned street stages.
“We are squeezed in the Usafi Park, which is far for commuters to access. This makes us drive only two routes a day compared to when we were still operating at the old park,” said Mr Robert Ssemaganda, the chairman of the affected taxi drivers.
However, another section of taxi drivers under their umbrella body, the Taxi Parks/Stages Coordinating Committee, yesterday also stormed KCCA offices at the Old Taxi Park, accusing KCCA of failing to bring sanity to their industry.
“If KCCA fails to remove drivers illegally operating along Clock Tower, it will be unfair and we shall not return to the Usafi Park,” said Tapscom chairperson Yasin Ssematimba.
KCCA spokesperson Peter Kaujju said no illegal taxi stage would be allowed in Kampala.
