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City car owners pay through the nose to access parking
Cars parked along the streets are a common sight in Kampala
What you need to know:
- Mr Ismail Ssenfuka, a private parking facility manager on Nakasero Road, said he charges Shs7,000 per day but he is always limited by space.
- The impression was that since buses shuttle many people, taxis would then be kicked out of the city.
Kampala. As the purchase of private vehicles in the city soars, the demand for parking space has also drastically increased.
This has affected both the planning authorities and car owners who throng the city for work on a daily basis.
The situation has been made worse by owners of commercial buildings who failed to implement a directive by the Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) to provide parking space..
Of late, car owners have resorted to other means of transport such as commuter taxis and boda bodas.
Although Ugandan businessmen had not embraced private car parking business, the influx of cars in the city has compelled them to start setting up facilities.
According to KCCA, there are about 45,000 parking slots on city streets and roads.
When contacted about the number of vehicles in Kampala, KCCA promised to get back to us but had not done so by press time.
Instead the city authorities have effective September 1 resorted to increasing the street parking fees to deal with the congestion and illegal parking.
According to the KCCA acting executive director, Mr Jacob Byamukama, city parking fees have been increased from Shs400 to Shs1,000 per hour, which only applies to the first two hours of uninterrupted parking in the same slot and Shs1,600 if they park for an extra hour.
Car owners who park for four hours will be charged Shs5,200; that is Shs2,000 for the first two hours and Shs3,200 for the extra two hours.
“We realised that many people permanently park on streets forcing others to occupy illegal spaces. With increased parking fees we believe congestion in the city will reduce because many car owners will no longer park for long,” Mr Byamukama said.
Mr Byamukama also revealed that the city authority is working with private partners to create more parking spaces in the city.
He said KCCA has finalised plans to construct a three level parking facility at the new taxi park, an initiative he says will reduce congestion in the city.
According to a study conducted by the authority within the city, at least 25,000 cars park on illegal spaces.
Mr Ismail Ssenfuka, a private parking facility manager on Nakasero Road, said he charges Shs7,000 per day but he is always limited by space.
“If you have enough space, you can make more money. Most of the parking spaces are always full and that’s why you find many cars parking in illegal spaces,” he said.
Mr Ssenfuka said parking fees vary according to places. He said one is charged Shs2,000 for parking in down town Kampala because it is a busy place.
He noted that multi-storied park yards would be the only solution to inadequate parking spaces in the city although they are expensive to construct.
Ms Joan Nantege, a banker, told Daily Monitor that she finds parking at Pioneer Mall so expensive compared to other places.
Ms Nantege said pays Shs2,000 per hour.
Charges in city outskirts
In the outskirts of the city, such as Makindye, car owners pay only Shs2,000 to park for the whole day.
Some private parking yards are also not safe as many people have had their cars stolen from there.
Mr Eldad Kansiime, the project manager for Multiplex Uganda Ltd, the only company contracted by KCCA to manage parking in the city, said they intend to expand their services to other divisions of the city.
“We are aware of the issue of parking spaces. But we are working with KCCA to establish more spaces in the city,” Mr Kansiime said.
Multiplex has been remitting Shs140m to KCCA per month but with the new parking fees structure, they will be remitting Shs337m.
Daily Monitor understands that lack of parking spaces in the city is due to the authority’s poor planning. KCCA had unveiled plans to eliminate taxis and boda bodas by importing buses.
The impression was that since buses shuttle many people, taxis would then be kicked out of the city.
