I want to commend the Ministry of Works and Transport for coming up with an operation to remove all 14-seater kigegegya taxis from operating on Ugandan roads.
The Minister of Works and Transport, Mr. Fred Byamukama, launched a 100-day operation on August 24, 2026, to remove dilapidated 14-seater commuter taxis, locally known as ganyegenya, which are said to be operating in dangerous mechanical condition (DMC) within the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.
The minister ordered the Uganda Police Force to impound unroadworthy public service vehicles that pose severe safety risks.
To me, as a concerned Ugandan, this is a good initiative, but it must be handled very carefully because it has serious consequences for household incomes.
We should be mindful that 90% of Uganda’s population relies on public road transport. When you look at the Uganda Revenue Authority, Uganda gets a lot of taxes from motor vehicle spare parts. And who are the consumers of these spare parts? They are the people operating these vehicles.
To me, the Ministry of Works should not hide behind this because these commuter taxis are bought when they are in good condition, but they get worn out because of our poor road network.
I would like to request the minister to let us concentrate on improving our road networks before we start implementing such directives that may turn into a regret later.
As a minister, before you start accusing people of having DMC vehicles, first look at how your ministry is performing in terms of the road network. Otherwise, it will be like someone who steals a drum from the village but finds it hard to know where to beat it from.
While the minister was chasing the Chinese from the roads, it was because of the poor road network.
It’s not fair to accuse people of having DMC vehicles when it’s the poor state of our roads that contributes to the condition of these vehicles.
There’s no way those cars can simply leave the road. People buy those cars when they are new, but because of the bad roads, they eventually become worn out.
I would like to appeal to our Badman General, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to intervene on this issue as well because the majority of people earning a living from these taxis are youth who are struggling to make ends meet.
Stopping them from operating will increase a lot of vulnerability among them.
The writer is a senior veteran journalist.
