About a day ago, news came in that drivers of the various mini-bus taxis in Uganda were starving beyond recognition.
According to the Daily Monitor newspaper, the taxi drivers who have now run out of food supplies and cash have resorted to eating communally.
By communally, i mean they can nolonger afford meals of their own as individuals and have now resorted to eating food in groups of taxi drivers together with their conductors.
Particularly, those operating, the Wandegeya-Ntinda route were spotted cooking in big saucepans near their houses and when approached, they told journalists that the situation was too hard on them and hence have to depend on each other for survival by combining efforts to cook atleast one combined meal everyday.
photos of the taxi operators
Reaction from happy Ugandans
Other sections of Ugandans on hearing the news about these hungry taxi operators, this was music to their ears because it made them happy.
Not that they wish bad for the operators, but because they believe it was pay back time. This is after the taxi operators had tortured them with high transport fares before the second lock down.
Here is what some of the happy Ugandans had to say ;
Turyahikayo Ivan We shouldn't have mercy on tax drivers coz the have been over charging us
Amutuhaire Patience Da way the taxi drivers increased transport I knew they will not complain in this second wave lockdown,kamukalebe
Rebecca Nakalema These taxi drivers shd be locked for 2 more yrs coz they doubled the fares after the first lockdown n on the 2nd lockdown they tripped the already doubled fares without mercy ate nga batika full board kale i can't feel for u nt at any point. No....No...no..
Cem Aromi Ogwal Shaa they arrogantly charged passangers double fares while still loading passangers in full sitting capacity. i'm remorseless.
Let them feel the heat.
Opido Jimmy Tell them to go to their respective villages, there is a lot of food in the village. Mangoes, beans,maize, potatoes,matoke etc
How did taxi operators increase their prices
President Museveni last year, opened the country partially after the first lockdown and ordered taxis and other public transporters to cut their passenger-capacity by half. This is when the taxi guys increased their fares by 200% I must say based on my personal experience.
For instance, travelling from Lira to Kampala was increased from 20,000 shillings to a whooping 40,000 shillings when Museveni allowed them to operate again in June but by November, the buses were moving at full capacity, carrying more than the recommended half and still charging the exorbitant 40,000.
The same applies to taxi operators who kept carrying excess full capacity while still charging high prices and this got many members of the public angry.
photo credit: The Daily Monitor
