Written By | Joshua Nahamya
Some of the councillors that attended the training.
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Mbarara City
Leaders in Mbarara City have undergone training on a smart street parking management system following mounting concerns over an estimated Shs 3 million weekly revenue shortfall.
Yoyo Technologies Limited, the firm contracted to manage street parking in the city, conducted the training on Wednesday for political leaders and technocrats from the North and South divisions.
The session, confirmed by City Spokesperson Amina Naluyima, was attended by City Speaker Bonny Tashobya, Town Clerk Justine Barekye, and several councillors and technical officers. It aimed to explain the functionality of the “One Pay X” USSD platform (284587#), which enables motorists to pay parking fees, purchase electronic coupons, and request to unpark via mobile networks.
However, the training comes amid heightened tensions at City Hall.
Mbarara City Councillors and Technocrats undergoing Training on smart street parking collection system on Wednesday
Last Thursday, Speaker Bonny Tashobya abruptly adjourned a council sitting, accusing Town Clerk Justine Barekye of conniving with the contractor to reduce weekly parking remittances to the city.
“They had told us that the system they brought would reward the city council with 60 percent of collections, yet now we find the contractor is paying a fixed fee of Shs 5.85 million per week instead of the Shs 8.2 million paid by previous contractors,” Tashobya said. “From Shs 8.2 million to Shs 5.85 million—where does the three million go? Who fixed this price if not the council?”
He added that the contractor had been required to first engage both political and technical leaders before commencing operations.
“We had said that before they start collecting street parking fees, the contractor should first come here and engage the technical team and politicians to show us what this system entails. Now we are in the fourth council sitting discussing the same matter again,” he said.
Speaker Bonny Tashobya reviewing some of the defaults on Thursday
Tashobya further alleged a potential conflict of interest, claiming that the street parking contractor is also linked to the Integrated Revenue Administration System (IRAS), which the city uses to track local tax collections.
“In this case, who is the contractor? It is alleged that the person who introduced the IRAS system is the same person who owns Yoyo Technologies. This means he is the employer, manager, and supervisor of the system at the same time,” Tashobya stated. “The city divisions cannot independently monitor collections because their gadgets are not integrated with IRAS. We are unearthing discrepancies that must be clarified before the next sitting.”
He warned that the alleged revenue loss could significantly affect service delivery in the growing city.
“Mbarara is expanding and requires infrastructure, health facilities, and schools. We cannot build them if council is losing local revenue to defaulting contractors,” he said. “We were assured that revenue would increase to Shs 20 million weekly after introducing the system, but instead, the figures have declined. We need a clear performance report.”
Yoyo Technologies Ltd taking Mbarara City leadership through street parking colelction system
Beyond street parking, Tashobya cited arrears in market dues and trading licences, particularly in Katete, Nyamityobora, and Rwebikona markets.
In response, Town Clerk Justine Barekye dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.
“This is just politics following me, even though elections ended recently,” Barekye said briefly. “We shall harmonise the issues before the next council meeting.”
Councillors and technocrats busy attending the trianing
An Executive Committee revenue report indicates that the city is grappling with Shs 89.7 million in local revenue arrears in the North Division and Shs 33.2 million in the South Division, largely attributed to unpaid street parking and market fees.
While Wednesday’s training sought to bridge technical knowledge gaps and restore confidence in the system, it remains unclear whether the smart parking platform will meet the projected Shs 20 million weekly target or whether the political standoff will further delay the resumption of full council proceedings scheduled for Thursday.
Torch Media Africa
