Museveni Allows Cargo Trucks to Have 2 Drivers

President Yoweri Museveni has reversed course and cleared cargo trucks entering the country, to have two drivers.

This is contrary to the resolutions by the Trade and Transport National Task Force subcommittee, which on 24th April said each truck was should have only one driver.

However, according to the statement issued by the Minister of Works and Transport Gen Katumba Wamala, this has been revisited by President Museveni who has cleared trucks to have two drivers.

“However, with further guidance from H.E Gen Y.K Museveni, the President of the Republic of Uganda, the drivers on transit cargo have been ALLOWED to have two drivers,” said Gen Katumba in a statement.

He added, “It is important to note that this only allows truckers to have another driver not a turn man. The drivers are reminded to follow all the Ministry of Health guidelines without fail.”

The Trade and Transport National Task Force had reached a conclusion that trucks should have one driver over increasing number of foreign truck drivers testing positive for COVID-19 in Uganda.

The resolution to have one driver per truck was to operate for the next 4 weeks after which relay system of driving could be adopted.

On April 23rd, the Internal Affairs Minister Gen Jeje Odongo said that Government was considering relay driving to have foreign truck drivers stop at the border in a bid to curtail importation of coronavirus in Uganda.

Currently, Uganda has 89 COVID-19 confirmed cases.

Although, 52 COVID-19 patients in Uganda have recovered and been discharged, most of the active cases are foreign truck drivers mostly from Kenya and Tanzanian.

Yesterday Sunday, the Ministry of Health confirmed 1 new COVID-19 case in Uganda.

This is a 39-year-old Kenyan truck driver who arrived via Malaba and according to Dr Henry Mwebesa, Director General Health Services in the Ministry of Health, efforts to track him are underway.

A total of 2,930 samples were tested for COVID-19 on Sunday. Out of these, 2,729 were truck drivers while 201 were from the community.

All 201 samples from the community tested negative for COVID-19.