President Museveni has directed KCCA to give the deal for Kampala’s mass public transport service to Metu Zhongtong Bus Company .
In a November, 20 directive to the Prime Minister but also copied to the Vice President, Minister of Works and Transport, Ministry of Finance , Attorney General and KCCA Executive Director, Museveni says Metu should be given exclusive rights to run the bus transport service not only in the central business district but also its surrounding
“This is to direct you to give exclusive permission to Mr. Metu Katabazi to run mass transit service for buses in the Kampala and the surrounding towns using the buses he has fabricated in Uganda,”he says.
According to Museveni, whereas there are other players that wanted to run that city bus service, even using locally fabricated buses, in order to empower the country’s manufacturing sector, it is better Metu does both the fabrication and the transport operation.
“Why? Two reasons. First of all, it gives him more cash for expanding our manufacturing. Secondly, do not forget that foreign service providers, transporters in this case, externalize some of money they earn in Uganda. When, therefore, you have an actor that both produces the goods (vehicles in this case) and provides the service (transport), you should not miss such optimal combination.”
He directed that Metu is to both fabricate the buses and run the transport service.
“If his transport service needs more buses than those he is manufacturing, he should, then, only buy from Kiira Motors. He should never import foreign made buses to use in this transport business.”
The directive means Kiira Motors , the manufacturers of Kayoola buses which currently ply several routes in Kampala have been kicked out.
Last year, Museveni asked a UAE- based One Mobility Group to help Uganda’s Kiira Motors and Metu Zhongtong Bus Company improve Kampala’s mass public transport system.
Metu Bus Industries are builds buses from Namanve Kampala.
The company has of late scale up its capacity and has sold a number of buses to several organisations including the Uganda Prisons Services.
The buses are used to ferry prisoners to and from courts of law.
