Kabale police has impounded 47 vehicles in an operation to net unauthorized drivers and vehicles under dangerous mechanical condition. The operation was conducted last evening to curb the rising number of accidents in the district.
Ely Matte, the South Western Regional Police commander says that during the operation they also collected shillings 2.8 million under the express penalty scheme. He says that several drivers were fined for over loading and speeding. Matte says that the traffic police will now operate along all major roads for 24 hours to protect the lives of passengers.
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Matte explains that police will only release the impounded vehicles after their owners pay stipulated fines.
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However, the operation has not gone down well with drivers who accuse police of failure to give them a chance to fix their vehicles. Medard Twakira, a driver insists police should have given them time to fix their vehicles before launching the operation.
Felix Mugabe, another driver says that they were caught off guard. He says the crackdown has negatively affected their incomes as many drivers have decided to park their vehicle for fear of being impounded. Mugabe says that he is worried that members of his family will starve because the vehicle is his only source of income. Bigangura Twahirwa, another driver accuses police of using the express penalty scheme to exploit them.
