UTODA DISMANTLED MODERN TRANSPORT SYSTEMS?
If you want to understand the mentality of Uganda leaders, drive on Uganda
roads, visit any Uganda town, Kampala streets or visit Uganda town bus and
taxi terminals. Certainly, many of these locations, are quite different from
politicians homes who always prefer high-sounding names i.e. Muyenga,
Buziga, Ntinda, even if the place might lack proper sewerage facilities or a
proper road to one powerful man in a banana republic.
In nature, common sense and rationalism are combined to come to social and
system organisation among higher primates i.e. human beings. That is not
among Ugandan political class!
The implications are deeper, for an African Politician, driving in a traffic
jam or passing by a filthy town or village, can't see anything and in that
respect if is a powerful politician, has nothing to do to rectify the
situation.
There is more to this fact, IMPROVISING by these types. A politician will on
that basis get ten policemen to follow him through a traffic jam. Or will
make sure he becomes a minister to acquire a four will drive, to beat the
pot holed road to his village or squeeze himself through the commons. I am
amazed by this behavioural structure!
The above is a scientific study!
It has been raining, and you can imagine; mangoes, passion fruits, bread or
taxi drivers parking in the middle of huge excrement flow, sending a
terrible stinking foul smell and that is okay for UTODA and this government.
You might blame KCC however, government policy is such that KCC will not
have a mechanical engineering section but rather procure services - as the
case might be in Global Fund or any other NRM government social services
sector.
Uganda, has no known motor and vehicle industrial establishment to either
meet her transportation needs or replace the existing, despite an over
20-year advent of Japanese made mini-buses. Mini buses are a precursor to a
modern Uganda transportation system. It's a millennium disaster resulting
into dismantling of (colonialism) Uganda Railways (UR) and Uganda Transport
Corporations (UTC) by NRM.
Welcome come to Uganda government transport policy.
Individuals alleged to be Uganda Taxi Operators Association (UTODA) utilised
the gap to capture the trend above. Subsequently, launching the most
primitive transport system ever, in Uganda's modern history. UTODA today, is
a limited company of, which usefulness as an association for taxi drivers is
more political and profit maximisation than meeting the country's
socio-economic and health needs. Ask any taxi driver if they know who and
what UTODA is, few even know the proprietary of that entity and what it
stands for! UTODA is a dreaded entity by all taxi drivers and discussing or
mention of UTODA appears to send shivers among them.
Yet, taxi drivers operate in the filthiest, congested and most toxic
environment ever known in Uganda. Taxi and bus drivers are the most
psychologically and sociologically affected labour force in Uganda.
Politicians predominantly own taxis and buses.
Drivers and conductors, wake up at 05.00 a.m. and get off their jobs at
11.00 p.m., implying they work more than 15 hours a day. It is a negative
trend for family men and a sole reason why taxi drives, are the source of
the gravest Uganda modern social ills; like drug use, excessive alcohol
intake and violent behaviour. Taxi drivers have a higher incidence of
violence among them, than any other working group in Uganda.
In a sentence taxi drivers have lost all human dignity forced or indirectly
brought on them.
The recent presidential and parliamentary election not a single driver dared
mention any other party other than National Resistance Movement - you can
imagine the primitivism despite the oppressive conditions these people work
in!
As bodaboda, taxi drivers are expected to shout political slogans even
though they get nothing from the state.
Scientific driving regulations, a person driving a public service vehicle
will be working only 4 - 5 consecutive hours and resting for 1 - 2 hours
before resuming work afresh. That is in civilised societies that care about
the health of their own people.
Uganda taxi drivers have to take to his boss between 50,000 to 70,000 shs
daily and on top of that pay taxi fees raging from between 4500 per route
and monthly fee of 20,000 in addition to taking care of fuel and mechanical
needs.
Funny enough when motor vehicles particularly matatu and buses slaughter
people, Uganda police interpret it as over speeding overlooking the very
origins of the problem - forcing taxi and bus drivers, overworking into such
terrible omnivorous conditions as illustrated above.
Given that Kampala is a wetland, basic hydrological engineering study shows
the city would be utilising water transport on Lubigi and Nalukolongo,
Mayanja, even on garbage filled Nakivubo channel as alternative transport
system.
Further still, these river systems could be providing huge amounts of
electric hydropower, designed at Kyambogo or in the worst scenario at
Makerere University. The revolutionary could not see that but they are
revolutionising.
It should also be noted paved roads and motor vehicles tyre friction
generates a lot of pollution in these water bodies. Vehicle tyres are made
of very toxic petro-chemicals. The pollutants accumulating in water, has an
irreversible negative effect on marine ecology.
Transport economics, transcend mere point of human daily activities and per
se survival, which informs the ideological basis of the current NRM
government. Transport economics is an engine driving modern economies, right
from the advent of European incursion into overseas lands travelling by
boats.
No! Uganda Africans can lambaste European for having colonised Africans and
that is it.
It is surprising therefore, the National Resistance Movement government that
has so frivolously than any other government, in the history of Uganda,
talked about industrialisation, has in no concretely terms defined by, which
means and basis industrialisation will be propelled other than "adding
value". Goat meat and vanilla powder from Kasese will sell in Rwanda and
Congo since it is costly to transport them where the items are most needed!
Value addition as if it is readily given, can easily be eaten away by high
transport costs, a reason why few Ugandans are found in the fish and flower
export industry and a good number in old clothes than apparel trade!
Besides, transport technologies dominate world economies and industrial
establishment, none of such, has bothered the current government's economic
set up, for the past 20 years. Industrialisation goes hand in hand with
planning a cost effective transport system. Planning space (spatial
planning) i.e. location of industrial establishment, transportation of bulk
cargo, processing zones and human settlement became a major academic field
in pre-industrial Germany, later Britain, Europe and the world, under the
guidance of a Germany spatial economist Alfred Weber.
Interestingly, NRM government has spent millions developing what it called
war roads in northern Ugandan. Of what strategic importance and on what
studies were these roads made?! These can also be called ideological roads,
as a measure for quicker transportation of troops in war zones and the
southern Sudan. This however, is not an NRM innovation but an Alexandrian
war invention that resulted into modern road construction to transport two
wheeled chariots.
Through its autonomous (from Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications)
road agency formation unit (RAFU), Uganda on the one hand is outsourcing to
foreign firms virtually all road construction. Once again deskilling
Ugandans and denying them too, an effective way of adapting to a modern
transportation system and appended technologies.
In essence, alleged Uganda government's support of UTODA is disabling
technological development appended to modern transportation infrastructures.
Air-conditioned self-service bullet trains, hydraulic buses, taxi cubs
riding in high-class limousines is not on a Uganda African level!
Really, there is nothing more revealing about NRM government mental and
ideological disposition than the pitiful and piggy conditions that rules in
UTODA managed Old and the so-called New Taxi Parks. The filthy, foul stench,
potholes and congestion, is a reflection of the most primitive order this
government has presided over and Ugandans have ever experienced.
I vividly remember Amin's Nile coaches that operated from Bombo!
Human health conditions are at stake, for both commuters and labourers in
both taxi parks and the city. Diesel fumes, dust, urine and human faeces all
combined with fresh food vendors, shows the level of understanding UTODA
attaches to what they call taxi and taxi terminal management.
Once one tries to travel on lake Victoria that wide water body, is filled
with dust stirred up by minibuses on Kampala's dirty murmur roads.
Minibuses weigh from about 5000 - 8000 tonnes fully parked African way. With
fully pumped types solid as rocks you can imagine the impact on the paved
and non-paved road network. Construction, maintenance and production cost
for roads is almost leading to the collapse of their entire road sector
economy, was it not for colonist goodwill and support.
Minibuses are metals of which usefulness to our environment is more
catastrophic than being advantageous. Besides the 7000 minibuses are
consuming and spiting out carcinogenic fossil. Guzzling fuel ramshackle
vessels that do not meet any proscribed traffic standards as per Uganda laws
cost the country way above 100 million dollars annually. Ugandans should
rise up and sue UTODA for endangering the citizens.
The people of Uganda are footing a bill of over US 160 million dollars on
fossil fuels yearly. What a burden on the citizens!
The social cost and slum development in Uganda is a function of higher
transportation costs. My study of all slum dwellers like the Batoro,
Baganda, Bakiga, Banyankole, Ateso, Balugbara, reflects a population that
has shifted from villages to come near their workstations. Interestingly so
food vendors, fish monger, brewers make sure they have a permanent place of
abode at their workstation usually a shack i.e. where they sell their
produce and products. It is a factor of higher transport costs.
Walter Christaller another Germany geographer was obsessed with central
places i.e. trading centres usefulness in provision of amenities and
utilities. This though has not bothered this government since they see
minibuses and UTODA as a harbinger in their so-called industrialisation
stance of the nation. So let slums be after all bonna bajagagawara!
In my humble submission the government must prevail over UTODA and ban it
from operating in high-density areas. UTODA is dangerous to the nation
state; socially, technologically, economically and environmentally.
Consultant Bwanika - Nakyesawa Luwero
Bwanika
________
http://www.idrconsulting.com
--> for your consultancy needs
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