By Robert Segawa
Public service vehicle (PSV) owners have been urged to voluntarily take mechanically unsafe vehicles to garages for repairs before they are impounded by police.
The call follows a directive issued last week by the Minister of Works and Transport, Hon. Fred Byamukama, ordering the commencement of a 100-day operation targeting public service vehicles operating in dangerous mechanical condition (DMC), particularly unsafe 14-seater commuter taxis.
The operation, which commenced today, is focusing on Kampala and the surrounding urban areas of Wakiso and Mukono, where commuter taxis remain one of the main modes of transport for thousands of people travelling daily to workplaces, schools, markets and business centres.
Police spokesperson for traffic, Michael Kananura, said road safety in the Kampala Metropolitan Area remains a major concern, noting that the area recorded the highest number of road crash fatalities in the country in 2025.
He said a total of 1,183 people died in road crashes across the three regions of Kampala Metropolitan Area.
Police spokesperson for traffic, Michael Kananura
Kananura further revealed that 398 drivers were arrested last week for driving vehicles in dangerous mechanical condition and committing other related traffic offences during operations conducted jointly by police and officials from the Ministry of Works and Transport.
He said the ongoing operation will target all vehicles found to be mechanically unsafe.
“We are particularly concerned about vehicles with serious defects involving braking systems, steering systems, tyres, doors, seats, body structures and other critical safety components,” Kananura said.
He explained that all PSV vehicles suspected of being in dangerous mechanical condition will be impounded and taken to designated parking areas, where they will undergo inspection before appropriate action is taken against the responsible persons.
Kananura, however, appealed to passengers and the general public to support the operation by avoiding vehicles that are visibly in dangerous mechanical condition.
“We are not fighting the taxi business; we are fighting unsafe vehicles on our roads,” he said.
The 100-day operation is expected to strengthen road safety enforcement and reduce accidents linked to poorly maintained public service vehicles in Kampala and the neighbouring districts.
