The Minister of Works and Transport, Gen Katumba Wamala has said that there will be no more exemptions for people who want to use the Entebbe Expressway for free.
Katumba, in an interview with NBS Television, said that sections of the public who can not afford to pay the toll fee can use the old route.
“If they say they can not afford it, let them plan their journeys early and use the old route, free of charge, but no other exemptions will be made to use the Expressway,” Katumba said.
After a number of years of using the Entebbe Expressway for free, one now has to part with a road toll in order to use it today.
Currently, only 3 categories are exempted from paying tolls. These are the presidential convoy, emergency vehicles like ambulance and fire brigade vehicles.
Katumba’s remarks follow calls that continue to come in from different sector players, who want to be exempted from paying the Entebbe Expressway road toll.
Latest calls were from doctors, who through their umbrella association of Uganda Medical Association (UMA), wanted the fee waived, to ease their movement in attending to emergencies.
Police and other government officials also wanted an exemption, citing a number of reasons.
The works and transport minister however did not rule out the possibility of more sectors to be exempted, if the cabinet can amend the regulations.
He, however, reiterated that for now, and going forward, no exemptions will be made and everyone else will have to pay.