Authorities, leaders clash over ungazetted Masaka park

A taxi driver 'shouts' during the meeting.PHOTO/GERTRUDE MUTYABA

What you need to know:

  • The drivers also allege that the old park is inaccessible for customers with heavy luggage- further warning ‘‘leaders not to interfere with their job’’.

Police in Masaka City led by the officer in charge of the CPS, Odius Nuwahereza have blocked taxi operators and mini-bus drivers from operating in the ungazetted taxi park.

In a July 17 clash, Ms Nuwahereza directed taxi drivers to vacate the park claiming that he was ‘‘working on orders’’ from a yet to be disclosed person.

In turn, Mr Bashir Mawanda, the chairman of the taxi drivers directed all his drivers to enter their vehicles and asked them ‘‘not to leave the place.’’

Authorities in the city want the taxi drivers to make use of the old taxi park, downtown Masaka City instead of Mukalazi’s place which is not gazetted.

However, Mr Nuwahereza later asked the aggrieved parties to hold a meeting with city authorities to determine fate over the contested place.  

In the meeting, Masaka Mayor Ms Florence Namayanja vowed ‘‘not to allow anyone to violate the rightful constitutional protocols’’ during her tenure in office.

“I hear that you drivers used to give bribes to the former Mayor and all town clerks not to vacate Mukalazi’s place but I tell you this will not work when am still in office.  The place you are operating in does not have toilets and we cannot sit back and see the city operating in such a manner,’’ she said.

Police officers camp at Mukalazi's place used by public transport operators as a park cell.PHOTO/GERTRUDE MUTYABA

Ms Namayanja also noted that as leaders, they got ashamed when the Kabaka visited what she described as a disorganized Masaka City over the weekend.

She added that after the presidential directives allowing resumption of taxi operations, Masaka taxi drivers interrupted the construction works on Nyendo-Broadway road.

Masaka Resident City Commissioner (RCC) Mr Fred Bamwine also advised taxi operators to welcome newly enacted rules.

“We are no longer in a municipality. A city has to move forward and whichever guidelines come in, we all have to follow,” Mr Bamwine said.

In response, several taxi drivers said: ‘‘We will not go back to the old park because it lacks toilets with water, and the roads going there are in bad condition.’’

The drivers also allege that the old park is inaccessible for customers with heavy luggage- further warning ‘‘leaders not to interfere with their job’’. 

Meanwhile, Mr Nuwahereza said police shall put into practice what the leaders have ordered and that they will not allow the drivers to operate within a park which is not gazetted.