All cars to be checked by June - ministry

Volunteered. A ministry of Works official inspects a vehicle at Kawanda motor vehicle inspection site. PHOTO BY STEPHEN OTAGE

What you need to know:

On going. The mandatory and periodic motor vehicle inspection of all vehicles, including government vehicles, started on November 28.

Kampala. Motorists have been given six months to voluntarily comply with the motor vehicle inspection or face heavy penalties.
In July 2016, the government made inspection of motor vehicles compulsory at least once a year.
National Road Safety Council secretary Ronald Amanyire said although there is a traffic penalty of Shs200,000 for those whose vehicles haven’t been inspected, they have restrained the police from enforcing it for at least six months.
“Within six months, all the inspection centres will be ready then police will enforce the regulations,” Mr Amanyire said yesterday in an interview.
Government contracted a Swiss company, Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), to carry out the inspection. For now, SGS has one centre at Kawanda in Wakiso District that inspects motor vehicles. The centre has a capacity to inspect 200 motor vehicles a day, but since December 1 [2016], an average of 50 vehicles are inspected a day. The lowest amount for inspection is Shs54,752 for motorcycles and the highest is a truck for Shs147,500.
According to the traffic and road safety (motor vehicle inspection) regulations, 2016, the inspectors check 65 items on the vehicle and all must be beyond 50 per cent to accuracy.
Mr Amanyire said the most critical areas of their focus are the vehicle’s alignment, brakes, emulsion, suspension and lamps. The motorist is required to go to with the logbook of the car to be inspected and his or her identity card.
However, a vehicle whose chassis number doesn’t match with one in the logbook isn’t inspected.
“When a vehicle that changed its chassis must be back to Uganda Revenue Authority to get a new logbook and number plate. At a certain time we shall alert the police,” he said.
A vehicle whose engine number doesn’t correspond with one in the logbook will be inspected but a correction will be made if the motorist provides proof that he or she bought the engine.
Altering chassis and engine numbers has been common in cars that have been stolen and resold to unsuspecting buyers.
The most contentious issue on how the inspectors will deal with commuter taxis whose original purpose was to carry goods, but were converted to carry passebgers.
Mr Amanyire said they agreed with taxi drivers and owners to relax some of the rules such as inspection of seat belts and design of passenger seats.
Mr Mustapha Mayambala, the chairperson Of Uganda Transport Development Agency (UTRADA), said they were sensitised about the project though they still don’t agree on the inspection fees on commuter taxis, which are higher than those of buses. “It was selective. We told them to make the fee flat. Why should a taxi pay more than a bus which carries more people? They told us that they will clear it. We are waiting,” Mr Mayambala said.
The head of bus drivers, Mr Hannington Kiwanuka, said he was worried that many buses may not pass the standards since many of them use truck chassis.
“Many buses you see on the road are built on truck chassis in Kenya that the driver’s seat above the tyre. In a genuine bus, the driver’s seat must be in front of the tyre,” he said.