By KT Reporter
Truck owners and drivers in Mbarara City staged a protest outside the Mbarara City South Division offices Monday morning, demanding an end to what they describe as illegal tax collection practices. Over forty trucks were parked at the entrance of the division offices, blocking Mosque Road.
Badru Ssemwogerere, the chairman of the Ankole United Truck Owners Cooperative Limited, explained that the protest stemmed from frustrations regarding the failure of the city leadership to streamline the issue of loading and offloading fees after the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets (PPDA) Tribunal suspended their tender.
Ssemwogerere shared that their cooperative successfully won the bid for the tender in August 2024 and was formally awarded the contract, but it was later revoked following a complaint from a competing party, the Mbarara City Truck Owners, Drivers and Loaders Cooperative Limited. This led to a review process, during which time the competing group, which Ssemwogerere claimed had no truck owners as members, began collecting taxes.
The truck owners further accused the city authorities of failing to establish a lorry park, despite them paying daily loading and offloading fees. They argue that the tax collection is illegal and unjustified. Happy Richard, a truck driver, voiced his anger, accusing the tax collectors of colluding with city authorities to impose illegal taxes.
He also criticized the simultaneous imposition of street parking fees and loading/offloading fees, calling it a case of double taxation. Mbarara City South Division Mayor, Jomo Mugabe, expressed frustration with the situation, accusing top city council officials of having personal interests in the collection of these taxes. He confirmed that during a brief meeting with the truck owners and drivers, they decided to suspend all activities related to lorry loading and offloading fees until further notice.
Mugabe appealed to the protesters, saying, “I’m begging you to stop the demonstration. Starting tomorrow, the council will take over the collection of taxes, and the other group should not collect taxes again.” Muhammad Byansi, the City Councilor for Nyamityobora B, criticized the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets department for improperly awarding the tender without following the correct procedures.
He also accused City Town Clerk, Asse Abireebe, of ignoring the issue and allowing an individual who had been suspended from the tender process to continue collecting taxes. Didas Muhanguzi, the Town Clerk of Mbarara City South Division, confirmed that the fresh process of awarding the tender for truck loading and offloading tax collection is still ongoing.
He stated that the evaluation committee is in the process of convening to assess the bids and urged the truck owners and drivers to be patient as the tender award process is finalized. Regarding the issue of double taxation, Muhanguzi advised truck drivers to avoid areas where they are required to pay for street parking once they have completed their loading or offloading. The dispute continues as truck owners and drivers push for a resolution to the issue of tax collection and the establishment of a proper lorry park in the city-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
