Koboko district leaders on Wednesday (April 21, 2021) suspended cross-border taxi operation over security threats, for unspecified period of time.
According to the district leaders, the Koboko taxi cross-border drivers had resorted to using back-routes to travel to neighboring South Sudan something that was endangering their safety.
Leaders added that, due to the high fees imposed on them, the taxi drivers particularly from the Koboko-Yei taxi stage were using insecure routes to transport people from Uganda to Juba in South Sudan.
For the past few months, Ugandan drivers have not been seeing eye to eye with the residents of South Sudan over issues concerning their safely and that of their property.
In the previous month only, South Sudanese rebels allegedly ambushed and killed over 15 Ugandan drivers who had transported products its people.
“The operators of the stages have been advised to use the other safer routes. We don’t want disagreement with in the stages on which routes to use,” said Dr. Sazir Mayanja, the Resident District Commissioner, Koboko.
Mayanja said that it wasn’t safe for the taxi operators to travel to Juba or South Sudan through Raba.
Wilson Sanya, the Mayor Koboko Municipality, also noted that it was very unfortunate that the taxi drivers from Koboko Municipal Taxi Park and Arua were moving to Juba via Yei.
“We have lost just four of our boys. It is risky to use this route because it is not safe.
“We are therefore dissolving it and withdrawing receipts not to tempt Koboko drivers to go through that route,” Sanya lamented.
The chairperson Koboko Taxi Operators Association, Sinabio Ochom, also emphasized that much as this was to affect the drivers, they had to stay away from these routes until it was safe.
Ochom cautioned drivers against taking their lives for granted. He (Ochom) advised that they could always look for money elsewhere, provided they were safe.
