The government’s 100-day crackdown on taxis in dangerous mechanical condition could trigger transport shortages, higher fares and leave commuters stranded across the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area, the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has warned. The crackdown, which began this morning, August 24, 2026, was ordered by Works and Transport Minister Fred Byamukama to remove taxis found to be in dangerous mechanical condition from the roads.
While supporting the removal of unsafe vehicles, the FDC says the operation risks worsening the transport crisis because the government has not provided adequate alternatives for commuters who depend on taxis. “Removing a number of taxis from the roads without putting an adequate alternative transport system in place will create scarcity, and this scarcity will inevitably increase transport costs for the ordinary commuter,” said Hassan Kaps Fungaroo, the FDC Deputy President.
The party said the additional transport costs would come at a time when households are already struggling with rising fuel prices, taxes and other costs, which are ultimately passed on to passengers. FDC also criticised the government for focusing on the condition of taxis without addressing the state of roads on which the vehicles operate. “You cannot fix ‘Ganyegenya’ taxis without fixing ‘Ganyegenya’ roads,” Fungaroo said, arguing that poor roads contribute to the deterioration of vehicles.
He cited roads such as Natete-Nakawuka-Kasanje and Mpererwe-Kitezi-Buwambo, saying even new vehicles would eventually deteriorate if subjected to poor road conditions. The opposition party is also questioning the government’s failure to deliver alternative mass public transport systems that have been promised for Kampala for years. It cited a 2006 government plan to introduce 400 large buses in Kampala and the National Transport Master Plan for the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area, approved in 2009, which proposed reorganising public transport and introducing higher-capacity systems. The plan expired in 2023 without being implemented, according to the FDC.
The FDC also questioned the repeated promises to establish a Greater Kampala Light Rail Mass Transit System, saying the project has appeared in NRM manifestos since 2016 but has yet to be built. Fungaroo said the continued failure to provide reliable alternatives has allowed old taxis to remain central to Kampala’s public transport system. “If Government had kept their promise, these old Taxis would have phased out automatically because no passenger will take an old taxi when there are decent means available,” he said.
The FDC is demanding answers on what will happen to drivers and conductors who lose their incomes when their taxis are impounded, what will replace the vehicles removed from the roads, when government will repair roads contributing to vehicle deterioration, and when construction of the promised light rail system will begin. The party has urged the government to implement the Greater Kampala transport plan, arguing that reliable mass public transport would allow unsafe taxis to gradually phase out without creating shortages or imposing additional costs on commuters-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
