The Old Taxi Park in Kampala has this morning been heavily deployed with armed police officers to block the forceful entry of errant taxi operators.
The commuter vehicle operators want to forcefully start using the park on grounds that the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) promised to reopen the park on Wednesday October 20, 2021.
The Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigire, says they deployed heavily upon receiving information that taxi operators were plotting to forcefully enter the park before its completion.
In September 2021, KCCA authorities resolved to open the park on October 20, 2021 after renovating the administration offices, fencing the park, and demarcating stages. However, the deputy registrar of the Land Division of the High Court in Kampala, Janeva Natukunda, issued an interim order yesterday banning the re-opening of the park after five companies claimed ownership.
Through their lawyers of Magna Advocates, the entities sued KCCA together with the Attorney General demanding the vacant possession of their land, which they secured through a sublease under the defunct Kampala City Council.
Court has set November 8, 2021 to hear the main petition.
However, KCCA Acting Spokesperson, Juliet Bukirwa Muwanguzi, says the park will be reopened at a later date once issues of management and leadership within taxi operators have been resolved.
“We are working with the Taxi leadership to constitute the management of the park, agree on stage allocation and to ensure adherence of standard operating procedures on covid 19, a new opening date will be communicated,” she explained.
Bukirwa has however declined to mention the wrangles over ownership of the park as the reason for its continued closure.
Rashid Ssekindi, the Chairperson of Federation of Uganda Taxi Operators says they need to use the park at least this month because it has been long overdue .
Ssekindi says that they have held several meetings with the KCCA Executive Director, Dorothy Kisaka and the Lord Mayor, Elias Lukwago, and it was resolved that they elect and allocate leaders to 33 stages in the park, which they did and handed over a report to KCCA.
“KCCA technical wing was first hiding behind incomplete works at the park but after meeting with them it was realised that the problem was management at the park. It took us one week to prepare and present the report. They now have to meet again with Lord Mayor and look through the report but it must not exceed this month because we have played our part.” Ssekindi says.
KCCA started renovation works on the Park in May 2020 with a promise to complete it in three months.
However,renovation is still ongoing as they are yet to demarcate stages ,renovate administration offices ,toilets,clinics and passenger shelters.
Currently ,taxis that used to operate at the old Taxi Park were relocated to Usafi and the New Taxi Park,others park on the streets, at Namirembe, Kafumbe Mukasa, Nakivubo and Barkley road.
