Parking yard owners eye windfall as Nebbi truck eviction deadline nears

What the report says

Private parking yard operators in Nebbi Municipality are preparing for more truck business as the local council’s deadline for heavy vehicles to leave the central business district approaches. According to Nile Post, the municipality gave truck operators a one-month ultimatum last month to stop parking on major streets, citing congestion, road safety and disorder. Deputy Mayor Howard Musa said the aim is to restore order and improve traffic movement.

One private operator, Shafiq Newanjule of Newanjule Parking Yard along the Nebbi–Packwach Road, said he has cleared extra space and hired more security in anticipation of higher demand once the eviction begins. He told the outlet his yard currently handles about five to 10 trucks daily, but expects the number to rise sharply. He also outlined different parking fees for fuel tankers and smaller commercial vehicles.

Truck drivers, however, say the municipal lorry park they were moved to in 2022 still lacks basic services. Anthony Ongiera of the Nebbi Tipper Lorry Drivers Association said the site along the Nebbi–Arua Road does not have adequate facilities such as water and sanitation, and that the association spent millions of shillings improving it without seeing the expected return. He argued that drivers may prefer private yards with better conditions.

Musa said enforcement will begin after the deadline, with police and the UPDF assisting the council. He added that the municipality has planned longer-term development of the lorry park under the Uganda Cities and Municipalities Infrastructure Development programme, on land set aside for bus, taxi and lorry parking.