KAMPALA, Uganda — Owners of old and mechanically unsafe taxis operating in Kampala and neighbouring districts have been given a fresh warning: their vehicles will be removed from the roads starting Monday.
Works and Transport Minister Fred Byamukama on Thursday directed police to begin impounding taxis considered to be in a dangerous mechanical condition as the government launches a 100-day road safety enforcement operation in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.
The operation will initially cover Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono before being extended to other parts of the country.
Byamukama said the government was targeting taxis commonly referred to as “ganyegenya” because of their poor physical and mechanical condition, rather than banning the taxi business itself.
“We have not banned the business of taxis, no. We love the business of taxis, and we are supporting them, but we have banned ‘Ganyegenya’ taxis in Greater Kampala and the surrounding areas for the first phase,” he said.
The minister said police had been instructed to impound vehicles found operating in dangerous mechanical condition. The seized vehicles will be kept at a parking yard provided by the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) in the Nakawa area.
“With effect from Monday, don’t bring back these ganyegenya cars in Kampala and surrounding areas,” Byamukama warned.
He said some of the vehicles targeted by the crackdown have serious defects that make them unsuitable for public transport.
Among the problems identified are worn-out tyres, defective brakes and steering systems, damaged or missing seats and faulty doors.
Byamukama said authorities had encountered situations where taxi drivers were forced to hold doors shut while driving, putting passengers and motorists at risk.
“Some of these taxis are DMCs and are not acceptable on the roads,” he said. “At some point you find a driver driving while holding the door, which is risky for passengers and the driver himself.”
He also raised concerns about vehicles that had previously been involved in accidents and were later bought from garages, given limited repairs and returned to the roads.
“These are cars which are worn out. These are cars which got accidents some time back, and the owners abandoned them in the garages,” Byamukama said.
“But our own Ugandans buy them from these garages at a very cheap cost. They just put tyres and bring them on the road.”
The government says it has attempted to give taxi owners an opportunity to prove the roadworthiness of their vehicles before resorting to compulsory enforcement.
Byamukama said voluntary inspections conducted over a period of about 60 days showed worrying results.
“If you are proving to government your car is not ganyegenya, take it for inspection. It will not pass. We have tested some voluntarily for the last 60 days, but none of them has passed,” he said.
Some reports have estimated that between 30 and 60 vehicles were examined during the voluntary exercise.
The minister said the enforcement was within existing laws and that police would now be expected to take action against vehicles that fail to meet safety requirements.
The government first announced measures against unroadworthy taxis in March, when operators were given 20 days to repair or withdraw vehicles considered unsafe.
The move was met with resistance from sections of the taxi industry. Operators under the Uganda Taxi Operators Federation (UTOF), led by chairperson Rashid Ssekindi, asked for more time, saying many vehicle owners could not afford expensive repairs.
They also called for broader consultations and warned that abrupt enforcement could affect drivers, conductors, vehicle owners and other workers whose livelihoods depend on public transport.
Taxi operators have additionally argued that poor road infrastructure contributes to the deterioration of vehicles, particularly those operating on heavily damaged roads.
The renewed crackdown comes as the government attempts to strengthen road safety enforcement across the public transport sector.
An estimated 15,000 taxis operate in the Kampala metropolitan area, providing transport for thousands of passengers every day between Kampala and surrounding communities.
Authorities have emphasised that taxis that are mechanically sound and meet roadworthiness requirements will not be affected by the ban.
The concern, however, is that removing a large number of unsafe vehicles at the same time could reduce the availability of public transport on some routes.
Commuters have therefore been advised to prepare for possible changes to transport availability when the operation begins on Monday.
For taxi owners, the directive means vehicles that have been kept on the road despite serious defects could now be impounded. For passengers, the government says the objective is to ensure that public transport vehicles are safe enough to carry people.
The 100-day operation is expected to provide an important test of the government’s ability to enforce road safety regulations while managing the economic realities of Uganda’s heavily relied-upon taxi industry.
