Kampala — Kampala City Council advocate, Josephine Bbosa Karugonjo, has revealed that the city authorities have been unable to terminate the taxi park management contract with Uganda Taxi Drivers and Operators Association due to political interference.

The city advocate, appearing before the Commission of Inquiry investigating alleged mismanagement and corruption in the Makindye and Kawempe Division, stated that although the UTODA has been defaulting on payments to the KCC for managing the two main taxi parks, the city authorities could not kick it out of the parks because it has political god fathers.

The taxi park management contract between the KCC and UTODA has been a matter of serious concern over the years. UTODA has been able to retain the lucrative contract, as the city advocate pointed out, through its political connections.

No doubt some political leaders have exerted pressure on the KCC not to terminate the taxi management contract with UTODA. But the city authorities should not use this excuse to hide their incompetence and failure to firmly act to either compel the taxi organisation to pay the money or throw them out of the taxi park. KCC has full powers to terminate the UTODA contract.

In the late 1980s, Kampala District Council headed by Wasswa Ziritwawula resolved to evict the makeshift container shops along Luwum Street.

The traders operating from the container shops were not willing to vacate the place and they lobbied the then Prime Minister, Dr Samson Kisekka, to prevail over Ziritwawula to back off. But Ziritwawula stood his ground and relocated the traders to another place.

This is what principled leadership means. The current city leaders must take decisions, however unpopular they may be, and implement them despite pressure from other interested parties.

The city's main taxi parks are an eye sore. The taxi parks have for years not even had minor repairs. The city authorities must either redevelop these parks or let other investors do so.