Up to 2,690 Cars and motorcycles were impounded during operations against curfew violators last week, according to police records.
Uganda has been under nighttime curfew for almost two years, as one of the measures undertaken by the government to control the spread of COVID-19. The curfew runs from 6 pm for motorcycles and from 7 pm for the rest of the public, including, among others, pedestrians and motor vehicles.
But several Ugandans, both in rural and urban areas have often disregarded the guidelines, and are seen moving beyond curfew time, taking advantage of the limited enforcement. However, in the week between January 4 and January 9, 2022, security agencies intensified their operations and impounded 935 cars and 1,755 motorcycles for flouting curfew guidelines.
The majority of the vehicles and motorcycles were impounded in the Kampala Metropolitan area that covers Kampala City, Wakiso and Mukono districts. Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga explains that the crackdown did not spare pedestrians. “We arrested 700 pedestrians flouting curfew.
Police assisted by soldiers and Local Defence Units personnel mounted roadblocks mostly targeting Boda-boda riders. On average, security has been impounding 1,500 motorcycles every week. Cars are usually impounded from 9 pm and midnight.
But President Yoweri Museveni recently announced that curfew will be no more, at least within two weeks after the reopening of schools. This means that Uganda will have no curfew with effect from January 24, 2022, for everyone, except motorcycles, which the President said should stop working at 7 pm, until further notice.
But a senior police officer commanding one of the 18 divisions of the Kampala metropolitan area expressed concern with the government decision to maintain a curfew on motorcycles. The commander said it is going to put them at loggerheads with the public who often use motorcycles as the most available means of transport.
“Every big bar in Kampala has a Boda-boda stage adjacent to it. The majority of the people who go to bars and music concerts use Boda-bodas. It will be challenging for us to impound a motorcycle carrying a person returning from a bar or a music show yet they have been allowed to operate,” a senior police commander said.
