Fly Entebbe Express taxi operators have appealed to passengers who have left behind luggage and other personal belongings in their vehicles to come forward and claim them, as a growing number of items remain uncollected for months.
The operators say several passengers forget bags, documents, electronics, clothing and other personal belongings after completing their journeys, with some of the items remaining in the custody of the association for extended periods.
Fly Entebbe Express Chairman Peter Kagwa said the association is calling upon passengers who may have lost or forgotten belongings in any of its vehicles to visit their offices and establish whether their items have been recovered.
Kagwa said passengers will be given one month to collect their belongings free of charge, giving owners an opportunity to recover their property before the association takes further action.
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He said the appeal is particularly directed at passengers who travelled on the Fly Entebbe Express route and may not have immediately realised that they had left something behind.
According to Kagwa, some of the items have been kept for several months, creating a challenge for the operators because of limited storage space at their offices.
The association says it has a responsibility to keep recovered belongings safely for a reasonable period but cannot continue storing unclaimed property indefinitely.
Kagwa urged passengers who suspect that they may have lost an item while travelling with Fly Entebbe Express to make inquiries as soon as possible rather than waiting until the property is disposed of.
The operators are appealing to affected passengers to visit the Fly Entebbe Express offices in Manyago, Entebbe Municipality, where they can make inquiries and identify their belongings.
Passengers claiming their property may be required to provide sufficient information to help establish ownership, particularly where several similar items have been recovered.
Derrick Ssebuliba, General Manager of the Fly Express Travellers Association, said the initiative is also intended to create awareness among passengers about the importance of checking their seats and vehicles before disembarking.
Ssebuliba said passengers often leave behind valuable items because they are in a hurry to reach their destinations, especially after long journeys or when arriving at busy locations.
He encouraged travellers to develop the habit of checking for their luggage, phones, documents and other personal belongings before leaving the vehicle.
The association says the one-month period will allow passengers to claim their property without being charged for storage.
However, the operators warn that items that remain unclaimed after the stipulated period may be handed over to police or disposed of, depending on their nature and the circumstances under which they were recovered.
The decision, according to the association, is partly influenced by the limited storage space available for keeping large quantities of unclaimed property.
The operators have also outlined a longer-term measure for items that remain unclaimed for an extended period.
They say belongings kept for more than three years without being claimed may be donated to needy people, subject to appropriate procedures and the nature of the property.
The association says the three-year period is intended to give owners sufficient time to trace and reclaim their belongings before any decision is made on their final disposal.
The operators are therefore urging passengers not to assume that an item lost months ago can no longer be recovered.
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They have encouraged anyone who travelled using Fly Entebbe Express and remembers leaving behind luggage or personal property to visit the Manyago offices in Entebbe Municipality and make an inquiry.
The appeal comes as taxi operators continue to handle large numbers of passengers travelling to and from Entebbe and other destinations, increasing the possibility of belongings being forgotten in vehicles.
The association says cooperation between passengers and operators is important in ensuring that recovered property is returned to its rightful owners.
Passengers who have recently travelled with Fly Entebbe Express are consequently being urged to check their belongings and, where necessary, contact or visit the association's offices in Manyago to establish whether their missing property has been recovered.
The operators say their immediate priority is to reunite the recovered belongings with their owners before the one-month collection window expires.
