Truck drivers plying the Kampala-Juba highway are accusing Weighbridge controllers and officials in Luwero chief magistrate’s court of corruption. They accuse the court officials of conniving with the weigh bridge controllers to arrest them and extort bribes from them. About 20 drivers are arrested for over loading and presented to Luwero Chief Magistrate’s court, each day.
The drivers claim that without bribing the court officials their cases can not be heard. George Kasule was arrested at the weigh bridge but spent five days at Luweero magistrate court waiting for trial. Kasule says that the court clerks and controllers connive to delay their trial so as to solicit bribes from the suspects. Charles Mafabi Prince, a driver with Bell Breweries says that he was arrested and spent three days without being charged.
Mafabi says that his file went missing until one of the clerks asked him to pay a bribe of shillings 20,000 for him to recover the file or else risk spending more days. As a result, other driver threatened to stage a strike forcing the clerks to produce the file after 6pm. The drivers also accuse that the magistrate of holding hold court session in a night a move to solicit bribes. Erias Kisawuzi, the judiciary spokesman says that the magistrates are not above the law and advises the drivers to petition judiciary over the issue.
Dan Alinange, the spokesman Uganda National Roads Authority says that they are responsible for the delay in prosecuting the drivers. He explains that once arrested the suspects are handed over to police for prosecution. Luweero weighbridge was set up in July, 2011 to ensure that drivers carry the acceptable load.
