Buses for AFCON

What the report says

The Independent Uganda reports that the Bus Union is planning to bring in buses from China ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, which Uganda will co-host with Kenya and Tanzania. Bus Union chairman Umar Kakaire Umar said the trip to China was aimed at securing vehicles that could help support transport needs for the tournament, which is expected to put added pressure on local mobility systems.

The article also says the Trucks Union, through its chairman Asadu, echoed a similar message about “go green” transport and said buses and trucks had been secured from China and would soon begin operating in Uganda. The piece presents the move as part of a broader push by transport unions to improve coordination, modernize operations, and strengthen the sector’s ability to serve large events and everyday commerce.

More broadly, the report places the development in the context of Uganda’s transport industry, which it describes as fragmented and under-resourced. It says the new Alliance for Transporters Union is intended to build on the Boda Boda Union model by organizing workers into a more structured, technology-enabled system. That background matters because transport capacity is likely to be a major issue as the country prepares for a high-profile regional football tournament.