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Malaba border congestion eases as government deploys more staff

Some of the cars parked at the Malaba border digital number plate registration premises. Congestion has eased after the Works Ministry deployed more staff. PHOTO/DAVID AWORI.

What you need to know:

  • "We expected fewer motor vehicles arriving at the border for the digital number plate registration exercise. The congestion increased, but now it is easing because we have deployed more workers," Mr Fred Byamukama

Congestion at the Malaba digital number plate registration depot has eased following the deployment of additional staff by the government.

This development comes after Monitor published a story on its website on January 21 highlighting delays in the issuance of digital number plates, which had left hundreds of drivers stranded at the border.

Drivers and importers had been stuck at the border for over five days due to the slow pace of the registration process. Many businesspeople blamed the delays on the Ministry of Works and Transport's initial deployment of inadequate staff to handle the workload.

Following the uproar, the State Minister for Works, Mr Fred Byamukama, acknowledged the situation, saying:

"We expected fewer motor vehicles arriving at the border for the digital number plate registration exercise. The congestion increased, but now it is easing because we have deployed more workers."

When Monitor visited the Malaba border again on Wednesday to assess the situation, the number of vehicles and drivers in the queue had reduced significantly—from 200 on Monday to 100.

“Congestion has eased at the registration center,” said Mr Mahad Atuhaire, Manager of Jan Japan, a car import company. “We feel relieved because four additional staff have been deployed.”

Mr Atuhaire added: “I had over 150 cars here waiting to have digital number plates fixed, but most of them have now left for Kampala after completing the process. While I still have some cars in the queue, I am hopeful they will all be cleared by the close of today.”

He expressed his gratitude to Nation Media Group for shining a light on the plight of drivers at the border, which prompted the Ministry of Works to act swiftly.

Jan Japan imports between 150 and 200 cars weekly, and Mr Atuhaire noted that around 300 imported cars arrive daily at the Malaba border.

Similarly, Ms Joselyn Babirye, who has been at the border since Sunday, shared her relief:

“I am happy that the congestion has reduced. On Monday, we had over 400 cars here in the queue, but today the numbers have gone down. I will be leaving for Kampala soon.”

However, some stakeholders are calling for more sustainable solutions to avoid future congestion.

Mr Stephen Olupot suggested that the government should consistently deploy enough staff to manage peak periods at the border.

Mr Moses Kasango emphasized the need for forward planning saying,

"We need more staff added to those already deployed because we anticipate the number of cars imported into the country to double in the coming weeks," he said.

He warned that the numbers could rise to over 500 cars per day, requiring additional human resources to handle the workload efficiently.