The ministry of Works and Transport has warned motorists defying the lockdown guidelines that they risk having their vehicles impounded and paying heavy fines.
Last month, President Yoweri Museveni decreed a ban on the movement of cars across the country as means of curbing the rising cases of Covid-19. Today Tuesday marks the 18th day since the president declared a nationwide lockdown for 42 days on June 18.
The only people who were exempted from the transport ban are those who were classified as offering essential services like medical workers, security forces, the media, utility services among others. Suzan Kataike, the spokesperson of the ministry of Works that is tasked with clearing essential persons said so far they have cleared only 20,000 cars to travel in the Kampala Metropolitan Area covering the districts of Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso.
She said however even uncleared vehicles are on the road on the premise that they are government vehicles. Kataike also noted that so far applications of 3,000 people are still pending while those of 400 others were rejected.
From a TV interview this morning, I passed via Lugogo, at a place popularly known as Game, to pick a coffee. What I saw was not lockdown state of affairs. Was this "lockdown" meant for downtown and the poor? Are all the elites essential workers? @MinofHealthUG @KagutaMuseveni pic.twitter.com/WAwbvlghay
— Ramathan Ggoobi (@rggoobi) July 5, 2021
She explained that some of the applications were rejected because the people although they work for essential originations, are not essential. She added that even with essential organizations, the presidential directive is that they work at 10 per cent capacity.
"We have seen a number of govt ministries, departments and agencies on the road at least according to police. Many are on the road but they don't have clearance to be on the road. Whether you drive a government car, if you're not among the 10 per cent that is supposed to be at work, please stay home, the government car does not give you clearance to automatically be on the road. Only those that have clearance from the ministry of Works and Transport are allowed to be on the road," Kataike said.
The ministry granted permission for travel for only two weeks. Now Kataike says that organizations that want to renew their permits should do it through the same entities that were in charge of the process to ask that the permits be renewed with the changes they would wish to have.
For example, in the case of the media, the Uganda Media Centre will process their requests and by Thursday they will automatically be renewed. She added that if media houses need more clearances for their staff, they should pass their request through the Media Centre to be handled.
On government vehicles that move without permits, Kataike said police should impound them because they are moving illegally. She said all essential government vehicles were also given stickers to move and those without are part of the people the president ordered to remain home.
For those picking and dropping travelers at the airport, the ministry said they are allowed to move provided they have travel documentation of the people they are picking or dropping.
"There is no need for you to ask for permission from the ministry of Works; just print these documents and have a copy police will allow you pass," Kataike said.
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