24/08/2026
The Minister of Works and Transport, Fred Byamukama, has directed police to begin a 100-day crackdown impounding taxis in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area found to be in dangerous mechanical condition, starting today Monday, August 24, 2026.
Whereas we agree that many taxis operating on Kampala’s roads are in poor conditions, (Ganyegenya) as the minister puts it, and removing them is a good move, this action is impulsive in nature. Implementation without finding an alternative means of transport for the DMC commuters will worsen the already bad situation. Why? 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. At a time when the cost of living is already high, with rising fuel prices, taxes and other costs paid by taxi operators, the additional cost will ultimately be passed on to the common person who depends on taxis every day.
Secondly, You Cannot Fix “Ganyegenya” Taxis Without Fixing “Ganyegenya” Roads. Vehicles driven every day on roads that are themselves Ganyegenya will definitely become Ganyegenya themselves.
There is no one that can take their brand new cars to work on for example Natete-Nakawuka- Kasanje or Mpererwe-Kitezi-Buwambo Road.
Put a brand-new taxi on roads such as these, and within a few years that vehicle can deteriorate into the very condition Government now describes as DMC.
Every taxi being impounded today was once a new vehicle. It did not leave the showroom as a “Ganyegenya.”
In simple terms: Ganyegenya roads help manufacture Ganyegenya taxis.
If Government genuinely wants roadworthy taxis, it must also provide roadworthy roads. Impounding vehicles while leaving the roads that contribute to their deterioration untouched will only disorganise citizens, disrupt livelihoods and reduce transport capacity without addressing the root cause of the problem.
Where are the buses that the Government promised?
In 2006, Government endorsed a plan to introduce 400 large buses in Kampala, but they never came. In 2008, Government developed the National Transport Master Plan, including the Transport Master Plan for the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (NTMP/GKMA) 2008-2023. This was a Government of Uganda/Ministry of Works and Transport plan approved by Cabinet and published in 2009. The 15-year plan proposed a comprehensive transformation of transport in Kampala, including reorganising public transport, phasing out minibuses and introducing higher-capacity systems such as stage buses. The plan expired in 2023 with northing implemented.
Mr. Byamukama should tell us what happened to this plan.
Ugandan entrepreneurs also tried to fill the gap. Pioneer Easy Bus entered a pilot arrangement in 2007 and later rolled out in March 2012, becoming popular with commuters because of its fixed fares. In 2010, KCCA entered an agreement intended to expand the fleet to 522 buses, this never happened, instead Pioneer Easy Bus was killed by the same Government under URA. Other private initiatives, including the Awakula Enume buses, also emerged but were not adequately supported and eventually collapsed. Meanwhile, NRM had promised a city bus system in its 2006 and 2011 manifestos. Nearly two decades later, Kampala still lacks a mass public bus system citizens were promised.
Where is the railway system NRM promised
The Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Light Rail Mass Transit System has appeared in the NRM manifesto since 2016, term after term, with nothing built.
To be specific:
NRM Manifesto 2016-2021, page 284:
"Development of the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA) Light Rail Mass Transit System. In order to develop a prosperous metropolitan city as enshrined in the Uganda Vision 2040, a modern urban Light Rail Mass Transit (LRT) system will be developed within Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area (GKMA), which are Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono districts. These districts account for over 70% of industrial production."
NRM Manifesto 2021-2026, page 128:
"Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Light Rail Train System (GKMA LRT). Develop the GKMA LRT system to serve the areas of Kampala, Wakiso, Mpigi and Mukono. There are plans to expand and improve the service across Greater Kampala, thus Kampala-Nalukolongo-Bujuuko, Kampala-Port Bell and Kampala-Namanve passenger service."
NRM Manifesto 2026-2031, page 107:
"Construct a light rail mass transit system to reduce traffic congestion and the cost of public transport in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area."
The same promise, repeated across three manifesto cycles, still unbuilt.
A manifesto is a contract
A manifesto is a social contract between a political party and the citizens who give it a mandate. When a promise made in 2016 is repeated unfulfilled in 2021 and again in 2026, that is not a delay. It is a broken contract.
The NTMP/GKMA 2008-2023 was initially estimated at US$1.1806 billion. Government also made specific budget provisions for the National Transport Master Plan, with projected allocations of USh 1.150 billion in FY2010/11, USh 1.535 billion in FY2011/12, USh 1.298 billion in FY2012/13 and USh 1.367 billion in FY2013/14, totalling USh 5.350 billion over those four years.
Government also secured funding for repeated feasibility studies. In 2024, Uganda Railways Corporation undertook feasibility studies for the Kampala–Kyengera and Kampala–Port Bell passenger railway routes, funded by the African Development Bank to the tune of USh 896 million. Earlier, a feasibility study for expansion of Uganda Railways passenger services in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area was funded by the European Union. The Light Rail project had also reached the pre-feasibility stage, with a 2021 investment proposal estimating the project at US$1.044 billion, while an earlier 2015 proposal for approximately 40 kilometres of LRT was estimated at US$1.6 billion.
As govt embarks on the crackdown, FDC is demanding for answers to those questions: -
1. What happens to the drivers and conductors who lose their income the day their taxi is impounded.
2. What replaces the impounded taxis and the number of Commuters stranded on roads.
3. When will government repair the roads that turn new taxis into DMCs within two years.
4. When will the Light Rail Mass Transit System promised since 2016 actually break ground.
This matter would have been sorted out using Demand and Supply. 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.
In conclusion, removing DMCs will create scarcity which will worsen the already bad situation and in the end, it’s the ordinally citizen that is suffering. Therefore, government should implement its GKMP transport plan and the DMCs will phase out by themselves.
One Uganda One People
