Dilapidated “Taxis” flood Kampala roads at night after daytime crackdown

What the report says

Commuter taxis in poor mechanical condition returned to Kampala roads in the evening after avoiding a daytime police crackdown aimed at removing unsafe vehicles from the road. The operation, led by the Directorate of Traffic Police under the direction of Transport Minister Fred Byamukama, focused on major routes in the Kampala Metropolitan Area and was still continuing, according to the report published by The Independent Uganda.

During the day, many drivers of the old taxis, locally known as Gganyegenya, stayed off main roads, parked their vehicles, or used smaller routes to avoid checkpoints. By evening, however, taxis were again visible at stages including Kalerwe, Bwaise and Rubigi, with conductors loading passengers and some officers appearing to focus more on traffic flow than on vehicle condition. One driver quoted in the report said many operators depend on the vehicles for their livelihood and cannot afford to keep them off the road for long.

Traffic Police spokesperson Michael Kananura said officers cannot be everywhere and urged the public to report unsafe vehicles instead of riding in them. He said the goal is to impound vehicles with defects that endanger passengers. The report said police had found problems involving brakes, steering, tyres, doors, seats and body structures.

The story highlights a familiar enforcement challenge in Kampala: efforts to remove unsafe public transport from circulation can be weakened when drivers briefly adapt, raising questions about road safety, enforcement capacity and the economic pressure on taxi operators. The report also cited the ministry as saying about 60% of 250 targeted vehicles inspected in the previous two weeks failed safety standards.