The chairperson of the Federation of Uganda Taxi Operators (UTOF) Rashid Ssekindi has confirmed to this website that starting January 2026, they are going to start taking their members to United Arab Emirates to learn how buses operate in the city in the modern world.
He explained that this is another step towards their ongoing process of phasing out commuter taxi operations in Kampala city and the metropolitan which they plan to start operationalising before the end of June 2026.
Ono Bwino online has learnt that UTOF sealed a deal with Fred Ssenoga the proprietor of Tondeka bus company who is also a giant in the bodaboda business to guide them together with the government on executing their plan of modernizing the transport business in the city and the surrounding areas.
“We are starting with one hundred buses but by the end of the year, we expect one thousand buses to be operating in the city replacing our outdated commuter taxis,” Ssekindi said
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He added that they are in talks with the Micro-finance and cooperative Minister Harunah Kasolo together with the supervision of Gen Salim Saleh who is president Museveni’s young brother to connect them to a financial institution which will help them borrow billions of monies to upgrade their jobs.
Sources said that taxi drivers’ leadership are in negotiations with a Japanese company which is ready to give them commuter buses which they will pay for in instalments. These sources added that being a man with a huge knowledge on transport, Ssenoga is guiding them on sealing the deal so that they avoid making mistakes.
The development comes at a time when State minister for transport Fred Byamukama recently revealed that President Museveni’s government is planning to take over transport business in Kampala and they will start by phasing out commuter taxis.
However, taxi drivers who Ono Bwino talked to are very scared that the move is likely to leave them jobless.
They added that they don’t have money to invest in buying busses and Ssenoga is likely to bring his Tondeka drivers to operate the buses which their leaders are bringing.
Efforts to get a comment from Ssenoga were futile but Ssekindi insisted that the deal is for the good of the transport business in the country noting that many countries have phased out the use of commuter taxis.
