Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago has accused the Ministry of Works and Transport of not consulting or informing him about the planned importation of 980 buses into the city.
The Tondeka Metro bus initiative, first announced in July 2019, is expected to ferry in 980 buses by September 2020.
But Mr Lukwago told journalists in Kampala on Monday, February 3, 2020, that he has not been formally informed about the project and that he has only seen it in the press.
He wondered how the project fits into the multi-model transport plan for Kampala, whether other stakeholders have been included in the process and the roles and obligations of KCCA in the project.
Mr Lukwago accused the ministry of rushing to bring in buses without proper planning and wondered if any lesson had been picked from the previously failed ventures.
“You have parked more than 200 buses in Namboole [belonging to Pioneer Bus Company]. Now you are bringing 980…why bring new ones while others are rotting here? You have not sorted out the problem,” he added.
KCCA spokesperson Peter Kaujju, however, said KCCA is aware of the project and that Tondeka bus company had met with the KCCA technical team.
“Consultations are going on between the government of Uganda and Tondeka…Every stakeholder will be consulted in due course,” he said.
Ms Susan Kataike, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Works and Transport, also said they are working with the technical team at KCCA and sensitisation of all stakeholders about the bus project has started.
“There is a master plan for greater Kampala…government is doing a lot of things to decongest the city, so we should not concentrate on buses only,” Ms Kataike added.
