In October 2018, President Museveni visited the Old Taxi Park in Kampala and pledged Shs 500 million to support taxi SACCOs in the city. The money was meant to help taxi drivers, conductors, and owners improve their work.
However, Mustafa Mayambala, the head of the Uganda Taxi Drivers and Allied Transporters Association (UTRADA), later raised concerns about how the funds were being handled. He accused politicians and State House officials of interfering with the process, which he feared could lead to the misuse of the money.
Mayambala wrote a three-page letter to President Museveni, claiming that some of the people presented as SACCO leaders were not actual taxi operators. He believed they were part of a plan to divert the funds to fake SACCOs.
He also alleged that members of a different taxi group, linked to Kampala Minister Beti Kamya, used violence to stop real taxi operators from attending the meeting with the President. According to him, hired thugs known as "Kanyamas" attacked UTRADA members to prevent them from speaking out against the fraudulent SACCOs. His letter included police reports and details of people who were injured and even hospitalized due to the attacks.
Mayambala urged the President to investigate before giving out the money to the so-called SACCOs. He emphasized that real taxi operators, numbering over 100,000, were the ones who truly needed the funds. He also promised to gather taxi operators from across the country to support the President, but only if a fair meeting was held without political interference.
On the other hand, Minister Kamya dismissed Mayambala’s claims. She argued that even if some of the attendees were not genuine taxi operators, they were still Ugandans who deserved assistance. She added that the government had more important issues to focus on and would not waste time on the matter.
This incident raised concerns about the credibility of the SACCOs and whether the money would reach the right people. It also highlighted the influence of politics in government resource allocation, leaving many wondering if the funds would truly benefit the intended taxi operators.
