Police warns against overcharging truck drivers for parking

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Police has warned managers and owners of designated parking premises for long distance trucks against overcharging drivers.

Speaking at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala in the weekly Joint Security Taskforce briefing, Fred Enanga, the Police Spokesperson said they have received a number of complaints from drivers expressing dissatisfaction with the way they are being treated.

Enanga said they had received communication from the Ministry of Works and Transport that all parking places must not charge more than UGX 20,000 from drivers. “They are not the owners of the cargo therefore, it’s unfair for you to ask for Shs 300,000 just for parking in your place,” said Enanga.

He called upon all the drivers who are charged more than Shs 20,000 to report at the nearest police station so that action is taken against the people extorting money from them. Last week, truck drivers from Kenya and South Sudan demonstrated against what they called unfair treatment in Uganda. For the last one month, government has been implementing stringent measures regarding long-haul truck drivers after it emerged that many of them were vectors of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Among the conditions include parking at only designated places away from townships they used to park, not to interact with locals and recently a compulsory test at the border. Only those who test negative of the coronavirus are allowed entry into Uganda.

Meanwhile, police has once again repeated its warning against flouting guidelines relating to the use of private vehicles. The moratorium which government had slapped on them in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus is running out tomorrow. Police used the press conference to warn drivers that they should be prepared for more scrutiny as they resume driving after nearly two and half months.

Enanga added that those who will be caught flouting the rules, their vehicles will be impounded, given express penalty receipts or in the worst case scenario be prosecuted. He also called upon all the other businesses that have been allowed to reopen tomorrow not to leave their homes without a facial mask. He said those who can’t use them should remain home. “If you can’t wear your mask or you can’t afford it, then stay home otherwise we are going to make sure that nobody passes our security checks without a mask,” said Enanga.

To those manufacturing facial masks, Enanga said police together with the ministry of health and the Uganda National Bureau of Standards is going to make sure that they are of the right quality.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni last week reviewed his guidelines on the lockdown, allowing some businesses like shops outside malls and arcades, markets, restaurants, hotels and schools to reopen provided everybody puts on a facial mask.

He said his government was to distribute these masks free overcharge across the country to Ugandans from the age of six. He pegged the reopening of public transport on the distribution of these masks. However, just seven days to June 4, when public transport is set to reopen, the government is yet to start distributing these masks.

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