The Ministry of Works and Transport has said it has so far cleared 20000 cars to be on the road despite the ongoing nationwide lockdown.
Last month, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni decreed a ban on the movement of cars across the country as means of curbing the rising cases of Covid-19.
The only people who were exempted from the ban are those who were classified as offering essential services like medical workers, security forces, the media, utility services among others.
Speaking today at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, Suzan Kataike, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Works and Transport that was tasked with issuing stickers to the essential persons said so far they have cleared 20,000 cars to travel in the Kampala Metropolitan Area covering the districts of Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso.
Kataike also noted that so far applications of 3,000 people are still pending while those of 400 others were rejected.
She explained that some of the applications were rejected because the people although they work for essential originations, they themselves are not essential.
She added that even with essential organizations, the presidential directive is that they work at 10 percent capacity.
The ministry granted permission for travel for only two weeks. Now Kataike says that organizations which want to renew their permits should do it through the same entities that were in charge of the process to ask that the permits be renewed with the changes they would wish to have.
For example, in the case of the media, the Uganda Media Centre will process their requests and by Thursday they will automatically be renewed.
She added that if media houses need more clearances for their staff then they should pass their request through the Media Centre to be handled.
On government vehicles that move without permits, Kataike said police should impound them because they are moving illegally.
She said all essential government vehicles were also given stickers to move and those without are part of the people the President ordered to remain home.
For those picking and dropping travelers at the airport, the ministry said they are allowed to move provided they have travel documentation of the people they are picking or dropping.
“There is no need for you to ask for permission from the Ministry of Works; just print these documents and have a copy police will allow you pass,” Kataike said.
Today marks the 17th day since the president declared a nationwide lockdown for 42 days on June 18.
