Covid-19: Security investigates racket selling lockdown movement stickers 

Security has started a crackdown on drivers with forged movement stickers that have gone on sale.

The decision, according to Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga was informed by the influx of forged movement stickers on several vehicles on the road.

“The Joint Task Force has observed an increase in the flow of traffic on major roads and high ways, despite the restrictions on the movement of public and private vehicles as part of the measures against the spread of the corona virus in Uganda,”Enanga said.

On Tuesday, President Museveni’s announced the extension of the lockdown by three more weeks as a precautionary measure against the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.

“Government has decided to keep in place the stay-home order for another 21 days starting tomorrow April, 15 to May, 5, 2020 to allow us to study the situation longer,” Museveni said.

The president said that all other measures put in place, including the ban on both public and private transport would continue for another three weeks.

The Nile Post has however learnt that following the extension of the lockdown, the number of vehicles on roads especially in Kampala more than doubled, despite the extension of the ban on all transport.

According to multiple sources, there is a racket selling movement stickers to various members of the public on the black market.

“The stickers go for a fee between shs200, 000 and shs500, 000 according to how you negotiate,” a source told this website.

This website has also learnt that some of the movement stickers are sold by some government officials working in the Ministry of Works mandated to issue them whereas others are issued by some security personnel.

It is also understood that most of the stickers issued are fake, save for those sold by Works Ministry officials.

Whereas other stickers are sold to people not in the essential categories as clarified by the president, some of them are sold to essential service providers but never got them due to limits by government.

Security swings into action

This website also understands that are realizing that many cleared vehicles have thronged roads especially in the Kampala and Wakiso districts, security swung into action to crackdown on them.

There were also reports of an Internal Security Organisation operative who was allegedly arrested and detained at the Central Police Station in Kampala for allegedly printing and selling movement stickers illegally to members of the public.

On Saturday, Police mounted checkpoints on several roads entering the city but also intensified screening processes at all checkpoints to crackdown on errant drivers on the road.

“In addition, all motorists whose stickers are not linked to that particular category and those that are forged will be withdrawn and vehicles impounded. Those who fail to comply will definitely have their travel plans disrupted amidst other probable sanctions,”Enanga said in a Friday statement.

Verification

This website has also learnt that government has started a verification exercise for all the issued stickers in a bid to weed out forgeries.

Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga confirmed there was a group of unscrupulous people selling movement stickers.