Mechanics Seek Land, Equipment and Certification as President Museveni Pledges Major Support
By: Tumutegyereize Wilber Aka.The Duke of Kigezi
Kampala-Uganda: Mechanics from Kampala and surrounding districts have called for land, modern machinery, formal certification and access to affordable financing during a high-level engagement with President Yoweri Museveni, who responded with substantial funding commitments and assurances of strict government oversight to ensure accountability in the sector.
The meeting, organised by the National Patriotism Corps Secretariat Commissioner Helen Seku together with the Special Presidential Assistant on Service Delivery, Yiga Kisakyamukama, brought together mechanics and garage owners from Kampala’s five divisions—Rubaga, Makindye, Nakawa, Kawempe and Kampala Central—as well as Wakiso, Mukono and Mpigi districts. Participants also came from Entebbe, Nansana and Kira municipalities, Jinja City and Iganga district.
For many of the mechanics in attendance, the engagement marked the first time their concerns had been directly addressed at such a high level of government. Several speakers described the meeting as long overdue, noting that despite the essential role mechanics play in Uganda’s transport and service economy, the sector has remained largely informal, fragmented and underserved.
Throughout the engagement, mechanics consistently highlighted long-standing challenges that have constrained their growth and professionalisation. Chief among these were the lack of secure working space, limited access to modern equipment, the absence of formal certification for skills acquired through experience, and reliance on informal money lenders who charge high interest rates. Many said these challenges had persisted for years, despite repeated promises of support.
Several speakers expressed frustration that previous government interventions had failed to reach intended beneficiaries, often due to mismanagement or diversion of resources. As a result, many mechanics said they felt forgotten and marginalised, operating in insecure environments that made it difficult to invest in permanent structures or improve working conditions.
Participants nevertheless expressed gratitude to Commissioner Helen Seku and Mr Kisakyamukama for mobilising and organising the sector, saying the engagement itself signalled recognition of their contribution to the economy. They also thanked President Museveni for financial support previously extended to mechanics’ savings and credit cooperatives, commonly known as SACCOs, which some said had helped reduce dependence on money lenders.
Mr Kisakyamukama told the gathering that mechanics and garage owners had been registered under a presidential initiative aimed at understanding the size of the sector and creating a structured framework for support. He said the registration exercise resulted in the formation of the Presidential Initiative for Mechanics and Garage Owners Association SACCO, which now serves as the main channel through which government assistance is delivered.
Figures presented at the meeting illustrated the scale of the sector in Kampala alone, with 700 registered mechanics in Rubaga Division, 400 in Makindye, 819 in Nakawa, 951 in Kawempe and 435 in Kampala Central. The data underscored the significant number of livelihoods dependent on the sector in the capital city.
Mr Kisakyamukama confirmed that government had already disbursed 500 million Uganda shillings to SACCOs across Kampala’s five divisions. The funding, he said, was intended to provide affordable capital to mechanics and help formalise operations.
Building on this support, President Museveni announced additional funding commitments during the engagement. He pledged to add 200 million shillings to each mechanics’ SACCO in Kampala’s five divisions, on top of earlier allocations. He further said that in the next national budget, funding for the five divisions of Kampala would be increased to one billion shillings.
Beyond the capital, the President pledged 300 million shillings each to mechanics’ SACCOs in Entebbe Municipality, Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, Nansana Municipality and Makindye Ssabagabo Municipality, with similar support promised for Mukono and Mpigi districts. The announcements were met with applause, with mechanics emphasising that access to affordable financing was critical to expanding their businesses and escaping predatory lending.
Commissioner Helen Seku echoed the concern, warning that money lenders had become a serious problem in the sector, often trapping mechanics in cycles of debt that undermined their livelihoods.
One of the most consistent demands raised during the engagement was the call for land on which mechanics could establish organised and permanent workshops. Speakers from all districts said the lack of land had resulted in frequent displacement, poor working conditions and inability to invest in machinery or infrastructure. Many said they operated on road reserves, temporary spaces or rented plots, leaving them vulnerable to eviction.
In response, President Museveni pledged that government would buy land for mechanics’ workshops. He said the land would remain under government or Office of the President ownership to prevent misuse or sale. The workshops, he explained, would be managed by leaders elected by the mechanics themselves but under government supervision to ensure transparency and accountability.
The President asked mechanics to identify suitable land, after which government would proceed with purchase, construction and installation of machinery. He said the approach was intended to avoid mistakes of the past, where resources were entrusted to individuals who later mismanaged them.
Mechanics also appealed for modern machinery to enable them to work more efficiently. Requests included compressor machines, leather machines and other mechanical equipment commonly used in garages. Several speakers said lack of equipment limited productivity and income, even where skills were available.
President Museveni acknowledged that government had provided machines to garages in Masaka and Kampala about ten years earlier but said he did not know where those machines had gone. Some mechanics told the President that such cases illustrated how government support often failed to reach intended beneficiaries.
In response, the President promised investigations to establish who diverted or stole the equipment in both Masaka and Kampala. He said those found responsible would be held accountable and assured the gathering that new machines would be provided, but this time installed in government-supervised facilities to prevent misuse.
The issue of certification also featured prominently. Mechanics said many had acquired skills through years of hands-on experience but lacked formal recognition, limiting their professional standing and access to certain opportunities. They said certification would improve standards, build trust with clients and elevate the status of the profession.
Concerns were also raised about underage individuals working in garages. Commissioner Helen Seku said such children should be transferred to presidential skilling hubs, where they could receive appropriate training and skills development in a safer and more structured environment.
Representatives from different areas also outlined district-specific challenges. In Entebbe Municipality, the garage chairman told the President that mechanics there had not benefited from any government programmes and requested land, machines and capital support similar to what had been extended elsewhere. In Wakiso District, Hon Kayesu Beth, a woman Member of Parliament aspirant, called for increased support for mechanics, citing rapid population growth and rising demand for vehicle repair services.
Mechanics from Kira Municipality said their SACCO funds had been frozen in banks, severely affecting their operations. Leaders from Kampala Central Division thanked the Minister for Kampala, Hajjat Minsa Kabanda, and the Mayor for Kampala Central, Salim Uhuru, for supporting mechanics in the area. Mr Uhuru told the President that Kampala Central mechanics now had a fully fledged office at Kiseka Market, adding that incidents such as burning tyres during protests had stopped and that the sector was now united and organised.
During the engagement, Mr Kisakyamukama also revealed that sex workers had been registered under a separate presidential initiative and organised into a SACCO known as Nekoleragyange Makindye, requesting that government support also be extended to them.
Commissioner Helen Seku reminded mechanics about the Flags and Emblems Act, noting that individuals or groups wishing to place flags on vehicles, workshops or garages must seek permission from relevant authorities. She also thanked National Resistance Movement cadres for cooperating during mobilisation exercises in garages.
The Minister for Kampala, Hajjat Minsa Kabanda, thanked President Museveni for honouring the invitation and acknowledged that the problems raised by mechanics were genuine and required government intervention.
In his address, President Museveni said the concerns raised were not new. He recalled supporting garages more than a decade ago but said lack of trustworthiness among those managing resources had undermined earlier efforts. He pledged that land and machinery provided going forward would remain public assets under strict government supervision and promised to follow up on past cases of mismanagement.
For many mechanics, the engagement represented a rare opportunity to present their concerns directly to national leadership. While the funding pledges and commitments on land, machinery, financing and certification were widely welcomed, several participants said the real test would lie in implementation and whether resources reached intended beneficiaries.
As mechanics return to their workshops across Kampala and surrounding districts, expectations remain high that the promises made will translate into lasting change for a sector that plays a critical role in everyday transport, commerce and repair services across Uganda.
