Taxi drivers stormed the Jinja City Southern Division offices on Wednesday, demanding immediate elections for new leaders, accusing their association leadership of overstaying in office and failing to address challenges affecting the transport sector.
The drivers, under the Jinja Taxi Drivers and Operators Association, say their constitution limits elected chairpersons to two terms, but they have not held leadership elections for about 20 years. They accuse their current chairperson, Khalid Muyingo, of leading the association for the past 21 years, a situation they say has created complacency and weakened accountability.
Shamadu Kakooza, one of the drivers, says the current leadership has abandoned the association’s regulations and instead embraced compromises that have affected the operations of taxi drivers. He cites the creation of unofficial stages outside the taxi park, which he says has contributed to disorder within the industry.
Kakooza also accuses the leadership of allowing kiosk operators to operate inside the taxi park, reducing space available for vehicles and limiting the number of taxis that can operate from the facility. Erick Kyambadde, another driver, says allowing mechanics and other unregulated activities inside the taxi park has disrupted their working environment.
He called on Jinja City enforcement authorities to restore order, warning that failure to act could push drivers to operate on the streets. Malik Bamulanze, another driver, raised concerns over sanitation at the taxi park, saying the facility remains dirty despite drivers paying a daily operational fee of 2,000 shillings meant to support cleanliness.He also complained about the poor conditions of the toilets, saying drivers have repeatedly contributed 2,000 shillings monthly towards rehabilitation, but improvements have not been made. Bamulanze says the poor sanitation and other challenges have affected passenger confidence in using the taxi park.
However, Muyingo has denied the accusations, saying he has faithfully served the drivers, who have continued to choose him during previous elections. He said claims about illegal collections are intended to tarnish his image, adding that user fees are no longer collected by the association because all collections were centralized.Muyingo said he remains open to dialogue and is willing to work with drivers to improve order within Jinja City’s transport industry. Following the protest, Jinja City Southern Division Town Clerk Nathan Kitakule held a closed-door meeting with the drivers and Muyingo, where they agreed to continue consultations on how to address the challenges affecting the taxi park ahead of the next elections. Kitakule urged the drivers to prioritize dialogue instead of protests, saying disputes are best resolved through peaceful engagement-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
