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Entebbe traders protest move to hand taxi parkland to investor
Some of the container shops set up by the investor on part of Kitooro Taxi Park land in Entebbe Municipality, Wakiso District. Photo / Eve Muganga
What you need to know:
- The piece of land measuring approximately a quarter an acre was initially part of the taxi park, but a private investor has since erected containers for lock-up shops, a move a section of traders have protested.
A row has erupted between traders and Entebbe Municipality authorities after the latter gave part of Kitooro Taxi Park land to an investor.
The piece of land measuring approximately a quarter an acre was initially part of the taxi park, but a private investor has since erected containers for lock-up shops, a move a section of traders have protested.
The traders say despite the new taxi park remaining closed as construction goes on, the containers set up by the private investor are fully operational.
“That piece of land is part of the taxi park, but we don’t know the circumstances under which it was given to a private investor,” Ms Gertrude Nalubwama, a trader, said in an interview on Tuesday.
Construction of the new park started in 2018 and is still ongoing.
She said the delay to reopen the refurbished taxi park has hindered their businesses, adding that some traders have nowhere to operate.
“Some of our friends are no longer working after failing to get where to operate. Instead of the council giving priority to these people, it was given to the investor. This is really unfair,” she said.
Mr Bernard Ssekito, another trader, questioned the intentions of the Municipal leaders to allow an investor to have containers on land that had been planned for permanent buildings as per the original project design.
He tasked the town clerk to explain why they chose to give part of the taxi park land to a private investor.
However, Mr Charles Magumba, the Entebbe municipal town clerk, said: “In the initial plan, we were supposed to have a banking hall in the park. However, when we failed to get the funds in time, we decided to temporarily give that space to a private developer to set up containers. When we get the funds, we will simply remove the containers and embark on our earlier plan.”
According to Mr Magumba, three private investors were interested in setting up containers in the same space but the municipality zeroed in on Mr Dickluck Mwangusya.
“He [Mwangusya] was given a five-year lease and the containers are temporary. The construction works at the taxi park are still ongoing. The municipality recently received some funds for the roofing project,” he said.
He added that all traders who used to operate from the old taxi park and were registered by the municipal officials will be given priority while allocating the stalls and lock-ups.
The town clerk further warned the traders against unscrupulous people who are reportedly soliciting money from them, promising to get them stalls and shops at the taxi park.
About the new taxi park
In 2013, the government through the World Bank-funded the reconstruction of the Entebbe Kitooro taxi park and the first phase of the project cost Shs7.5b.
UB Consulting Engineers Ltd & Scafford contractors were hired to construct the taxi park.
The new taxi park has a total of 300 lock-up shops.
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