Entebbe's new taxi park opens, promising better livelihoods for residents

Entebbe Municipality Mayor, Mr Fabrice Rulinda (in yellow tie), together with Municipal officials tour the new taxi park on January 22, 2025. Photo/Paul Adude
What you need to know:
- Mr Rulinda attributed delays in completing the park, which started in 2017 under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development Programme (USMID), to financial constraints faced by the contractor.
Entebbe Municipality Mayor, Mr Fabrice Rulinda, has expressed optimism that the newly constructed Kitooro Taxi Park will uplift the income levels of local residents who will operate businesses within the facility, ultimately improving their livelihoods and alleviating poverty.
“This park is meant to accommodate low-income earners. They will be able to operate their businesses in the shops, enabling them to uplift themselves from poverty and lead better lives,” Mr Rulinda said.
He made these remarks on Wednesday during the official opening of the park, which features 249 shops and cost over Shs 10 billion to construct.
“We expect a few challenges like the allocation of stalls—there are some people who didn’t get any, and others who want space but there isn’t any available. However, for now, we are confident this park will help alleviate poverty and improve livelihoods,” he added.
Mr Rulinda attributed delays in completing the park, which started in 2017 under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development Programme (USMID), to financial constraints faced by the contractor.
“After the first phase was completed, there was no money to finish the park. Once funds became available, we were able to complete the second phase,” he explained.
The mayor also dismissed allegations that municipal staff had allocated themselves shops in the park.
“There have been claims that some staff connived with others to acquire spaces. However, everyone who has been allocated a shop has done so legitimately. The complaints mainly concern the ground floor shops, which are highly sought after. We have set up a tribunal to investigate such grievances and ensure fairness,” he said.
The Chairperson of Entebbe Division B, Mr Richard Sekyondo, urged the taxi park leadership to manage the allocation of stalls efficiently to avoid conflicts.
“Let’s avoid repeating the mistakes made during the allocation of Kitooro Market stalls. That process created lasting issues and even hindered revenue collection, which fell short of the Shs 70 million monthly target, turning the market into a liability. We had to source funds from elsewhere to maintain it,” he said.
Entebbe Town Clerk, Mr Emmanuel Mugisha, said there is need for timely payments by the business operators to ensure proper maintenance of the park.