By Wetondo Denis Julius
MBALE
Mbale City authorities have found themselves at war with truck drivers parking in 3 of the City’s roads that are due for reconstruction.
The truck drivers are currently parking their trucks on Naboa, Bishop Wasike and Manafwa roads which are currently in a bad state.
According to James Kutosi, the Mbale City Pubic Relation Officer, (PRO) Government of Uganda recently under the Uganda Support Municipal Infrastructure Development Program (USMID) released over 21 billion shillings to construct the three roads of Naboa, Bishop Wasike and Manafwa which are currently in a bad state.
While speaking to our reporter last Friday 31st October 2020, Kutosi said that works on the three roads was supposed to begin this month but truck drivers have refused to stop parking their vehicles on the affected roads.
“We told the truck drivers to park their vehicles in the newly gazetted park opposite Mbale Red Cross offices buildings after their former Mbale Lorry Park was sold off in 2010 to investors by Mbale Municipality.” Kutosi said.
He however added that the truck drivers have stubbornly refused to move to the new gazetted park.
The PRO also warned that if the truck drivers continue resisting for the whole of this financial year, Mbale city will be forced refund the money to the government which will be a loss to all Mbale people.
Anthony Kizamba and Moses Kato both truck drivers say that they have not refused to vacate the roads but they have nowhere to go since their Lorry Park was sold.
They claim that the so-called gazetted park Mbale city claims is a private property where they are charged Shs2,000 daily as parking fee which is hard for them.
The drivers vowed to continue parking along the three roads even if it means losing their lives.
