Shafiq Teera, the Chairperson Bwaise Dembe taxi park, says over twenty-five taxis were vandalized and 19 drivers injured during the weekend clashes. He says chaos started shortly holding their general meeting.
At least 19 taxi
drivers from Dembe taxi Park in Bwaise along Nabweru road in Kawempe division
are nursing injuries following a brawl with their colleagues in Kaasi club Taxi
Park over the weekend.
Kaasi club Taxi Park
belongs to businessman, Joseph Ssemmango. Some
of the injured drivers say that they were assaulted when they declined to leave
Dembe Taxi Park and operate in Kaasi Club Park.
Denis Sserugwa, a Taxi
driver in Dembe Taxi Park, says he is now worried of losing his life after
being assaulted.
//”Cue in: Bajja wano Mu
Park…
Cue out: …bebagenda otandika otemula.”//
Vincent Musoke, another taxi driver blames Ssemmango, the owner of Kaasi Club Taxi
Park, which is also located along Nabweru for forcing them to operate in his park
against their will.
He says there is no need for Ssemmango to force them to
work in his park. Musoke accuses Ssemmango of deploying thugs to vandalize their
victims, which has affected their work.
// “Cue in: Emotoka gyojayo jebayasa…
Cue out: …tubonabona tukaaba.”//
Shafiq Teera, the Chairperson Bwaise Dembe taxi park, says over twenty-five
taxis were vandalized and 19 drivers injured during the weekend clashes. He says
chaos started shortly holding their general meeting.
//“Cue in: Tuba twakavaayo…
Cue out: …embazi, ebiso.”//
He says the injured drivers are in different hospitals like Mulago, Kawempe and
nearby clinics. Teera says they are waiting for Kawempe Police Station to take
action or else they will head to higher offices for justice.
“We as leaders are going to repair the harmed taxis because when our drivers
recover, they will need to work again and won’t wait for justice to be taken on,”
he said.
Joseph Ssebukalu, the chairperson Kaasi club taxi park, says fault their
colleagues in Dembe Taxi Park. He says their boss Joseph Ssemango talked to
them in peace but they refused to work with their fellow drivers.
Emmanuel Serunjoji,
the Mayor Kawempe Division told URN that he believes in development that occurs
in communities.
He said if the Dembe park taxi drivers realize that they
need to operate with fellow drivers in Kaasi Park, they will come on board.
But Teera accuses Serunjoji
of teaming up with Ssemango to create Kaasi Club Park with intentions of taking
over Dembe Taxi Park in 2016.
He says the leaders stirred chaos and hired thugs
to assault them to the extent that one of the drivers lost his life.
The matter was taken to the Kawempe Deputy Resident City Commissioners who
closed Kaasi Club Park.
However, the park was reopened in July this year. Kampala
Metropolitan Police wrote to the drivers asking the taxi drivers to agree to work
together. However, the chaos has now resumed.
Cynthia Ruth Naggayi
Freelancer