Gulu City closes two bus terminals
He rubbished the claims of illegal operations, saying Lamogi Ber was gazetted as a private bus park by the then Gulu municipal council in 2009.
By Christopher Nyeko
Gulu: Gulu City Council has moved to stop the operationalization of Lamogi Ber Bus terminal located at plot 25 Andrea Olal Road in Library Ward Bardege-Layibi division and Makome Bus terminal in Labour-Line ward Laroo-Pece division.
The city council alleged that the two entities are operating illegally, failing to pay taxes to the city council, and causing traffic congestion within the city’s busiest business center, thus prone to causing road crashes in Gulu city.
The council therefore, on those three grounds, resolved that the two entities close with immediate effect, therefore their occupants shifted to the Gulu modern bus terminal that was established in 2019 by Gen. Salim Shale under a private-public partnership arrangement with Gulu City Council.
This suggested terminal for Gen. Salim Saleh has not been occupied since its establishment in the past 3 years.
The move to close the two bus parks emerged following the motion without notice by Hon. Odong Morish, the directly elected councilor for Laroo-Pece south constituency.
Odong tabled before the council three reasons why the terminal must be blocked from operation, noticing that on many occasions the buses make an abrupt turn on the highway upon arrival or after loading the passenger, blocking the access for other mobility, thus causing traffic congestion, something he observed may throw people into road crashes.
The motion mover also tasked the city clerk to provide the council with evidence that proved the legality of the two entities.
He also told the council that the two terminals are not paying any form of tax to the Gulu city council.
James Tolit, the deputy city clerk, confirmed to the council during the council deliberation that both Lamaogi Ber and Makome bus terminals are not paying any revenue to the council, adding that they also don’t have any binding documents with Gulu City Council.
He therefore assured the council that he would inform the affected entities formally and directed them to go to the gazetted bus terminal for Gulu city council.
However, when interviewed on Wednesday, Mr. Omony Stephen, the manager of Lamogi Ber bus terminal, produced all legal evidence, including copies of receipts issued to them by Bardege-Layibi Division’s copy of the MOU with the division’s authorities.
The receipt seen in this publication indicates that Lamogi Ber is paying a total of 3.2 million shillings monthly as bus park operation fees; they pay between 200,000 and 300,000 shillings as trade licenses; and between 800,000 and 2 million shillings as property tax and ground rent.
Andrew Okot, the manager of Makome bus terminal produced a copy of the receipt indicating that they are paying the trading license and the operation requirement to the relevant authorities.
He, however, admitted that they were cautioned by RCC last year about causing traffic congestion, and they have corrected it since then. Since then, all their buses are loaded from inside their designated area and take off without causing inconvenience on the road.
The two accused entities, however, instead faulted Gulu City Council for failing to implement a trade order sustainably, observing that if law enforcement were on the ground, the issues of traffic congestion, offloading, and turning of long trucks within the bossiest business center and highway would have been regulated.
Meanwhile, Oola Patrick Lumumba, the Bardege-Layibi division mayor, blames the city council for passing a resolution without carrying out a proper investigation and consulting the lower division authority.
Lumumba says Lamogi Ber is very compliant in paying dues, noticing that they pay up to 38.4 million shillings annually to Bardege-Layibi Division, of which 19 million shillings are remitted to the Gulu city council account annually.
He rubbished the claims of illegal operations, saying Lamogi Ber was gazetted as a private bus park by the then Gulu municipal council in 2009 with a valid memorandum of understanding that binds them with Bardege-Layibi division.
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