More than 80 taxi drivers under the Entebbe Fly Express Travelers Association have become landowners after using their collective annual savings to purchase plots of land in Namayumba, Wakiso District.
The initiative, introduced last year by the association, was designed to promote a saving culture among taxi drivers while enabling members to invest in long-term assets.
At the end of the savings cycle, members were given the option of receiving their savings in cash or investing them in land.
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During a visit to the newly acquired estate, the drivers inspected their plots and received individual land titles for 50-by-100-foot plots.
Association Chairperson Peter Kaggwa said the project demonstrates what can be achieved through financial discipline and collective action.
"What began as a vision has now become a reality. Our members trusted the process, remained disciplined in their savings, and today many of them are proud landowners," Kaggwa said.
Among the beneficiaries were drivers Frank Okodit and Ronnie Kilaga, who described the initiative as life-changing.
They said owning land had previously seemed beyond their reach, but the association's collective savings programme enabled them to acquire property without resorting to costly loans.
"To some of us, this was just a dream, but today I can't believe I am a landowner," Okodit said.
The land titles were handed over by Entebbe Municipality Member of Parliament Shyaka Stephen Gashaija and Entebbe Municipality Mayor Fabrice Rulinda.
Gashaija commended the association for promoting financial discipline and urged beneficiaries to protect their investments.
He cautioned members against mortgaging their land titles to money lenders, encouraging them instead to develop the land and use it as a foundation for building long-term wealth.
Rulinda described the initiative as an example of how organised savings can transform livelihoods and challenged other taxi associations across the country to establish savings and credit cooperatives and embrace collective investment programmes.
"Peter and your team have demonstrated admirable saving discipline. Please use your land productively. Don't run to money lenders--they will take your land," Rulinda said.
He also praised the leadership of the Entebbe Fly Express Travelers Association for maintaining transparency and accountability throughout the programme, saying the two principles are essential for sustaining members' confidence.
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Beneficiaries expressed optimism that the initiative would inspire more taxi drivers to embrace a saving culture and invest in productive assets rather than relying solely on daily earnings.
The acquisition of the land titles marks a significant milestone for the Entebbe Fly Express Travelers Association and highlights the role of disciplined saving and collective investment in improving the welfare and financial security of workers in Uganda's transport sector.
