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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | 1,500 students have so far been transported to their homes after they were stranded in the taxi and bus parks in Kampala.
Since Tuesday, the government has been providing transport to clear the numbers of students stranded in Kampala to get back to their upcountry homes.
On Sunday, President Museveni directed the closure of schools into a second lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among the school-going population. He also slapped a ban on inter-district travel beyond June 10th, to cater for the students that had to travel upcountry.
This saw the bus and taxi operators hike transport with some routes tripling the normal fares hence leaving many students stranded in the different parks.
Over five buses from different government agencies and ministries that include Uganda Wildlife Authority, Makerere University, and Ministry of Agriculture are parked at Namayiba bus park waiting for students to travel upcountry.
Ismail Mulindwa, the Director Basic and Secondary Education in the Ministry of Education says as government, they have done their part as directed by the President to ensure that all students travel to their destinations by June 10.
According to Mulindwa, since today is the deadline for travel, they are mobilizing students from all the parks in Kampala to gather at Namayiba to travel back to their homes.
Mulindwa who has pitched camp at Namayiba bus park, says they are now remapping their destination routes to ensure all students return home.
Nelson Ssekandi, the Manager Namayiba Bus Park says that the intervention by the government has saved them from the overwhelming number of students who were stranded in the bus parks leading to congestion.
Ssekandi however says that the government should extend the deadline for travel.
On Wednesday, the police offered six buses and 20 trucks to transport for free students who were stranded in Kampala.
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