Transport minister Katumba Wamala blocks bus owners’ decision to increase fares ahead of Christmas

Hours after the United Bus Owners Association Limited (Uboa) announced the increment of transport fares ahead of Christmas and the end-of-year festive season, the ministry of transport and works has halted their move.

Led by their chairman Solomon Nsimire, Uboa had doubled fares, citing increased fuel prices and Museveni’s orders for them to carry passengers half their buses’ capacity.

Following Uboa’s announcement, Winston Katushabe, the commissioner in charge of transport and safety at the Ministry of Works and Transport (MoWT) ordered the bus owners to officially seek permission from the ministry before increasing the prices.

Katushabe said there would be public hearings on the proposed fare increment and that exorbitant fares wouldn’t be allowed.

“These fares are going to be looked into, you have what we call a public hearing. We have asked the chairman to make that proposal, write to the ministry. We will go through them, where we feel the transport fare could have been increased unnecessarily, we shall advise them to adjust,” said the commissioner.

“These [fares] will be fixed throughout the festive season. We shall agree with them on those fares and publish them for the general public so that if Mbarara has been Shs30,000 and you are charging, Shs40,000 or Shs50,000, then the public should know, not you coming tomorrow and you charge Shs100,000.”