Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Lorry drivers and motorcyclists in Mukono municipality have rejected payment of daily street parking fees demanding for a gazetted park to at least pay monthly charges for the parking space.
The municipality introduced charges for all vehicles and motorcycles parking alongside the streets of Central and Goma division to boost revenue collection and control traffic flow. Jeseneous limited was contracted to charge cars 1,000 Shillings per hour and 5,000 for a day while motorcycles are charged 1,000 Shillings a day. A monthly sticker for both drivers and cyclists goes for 50,000 Shillings.
Levying was meant to start this week, however, drivers and cyclists have rejected the fees saying it is exorbitant and presented at the wrong period when they are drained by lockdown. They have warned to fight collectors insisting on placing receipts on their parked vehicles to demand for money.
Rogers Ziika says they have for long appealed to the municipal authorities to allocate and gazette for them a truck parking space in vain, leaving them without option but to park alongside Bugerere street.
“We spend hours and sometimes days without assignments and our trucks parked, paying in this case means we are being penalised for lacking what to do!” he lamented.
Another truck driver Deogratius Ttinka says authorities did not prepare people affected with the new charges before their introduction.
A bodaboda cyclist Paulo Kato, says they are ready to enter into running battles with authorities but they are not willing to pay any fee. He appeals to their elected leaders to intervene in the matter.
The Deputy Town Clerk Alex Nanyonga Sseruwagi insists that street fees were passed by the council under the Local Government Act, schedule 79, they are given rights and obligation to formulate, approve and execute their budgets and plans provided the budgets are balanced.
She further notes that under the same schedule, the municipality is entitled to collecting fees or taxes on behalf of the government as its agent. A portion of the funds collected is retained and any extra obligation transferred to the central government.
“This is not new, it is being implemented in other parts of the country and here in Mukono we have done enough sensitization before the implementation kicked off,” she explained. “So our people should be compliant, we don’t need to force them.”
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