At the start of all this, I warned you. I wrote, I pleaded, I begged tokola errorrrr, I said. My article then, sounded like the ramblings of a futuristic prophet on expired medicine. Fast forward EPS came and it was crazzzzzyyyyy! It was like a movie with a thick plot and the cast was all of us. Basima ogenze! In the old days, cried over the ka 5K and 20K that slid discreetly into the traffic officer’s palm as a humble token for peace. With the EPS (Automated Electronic Penalty System), we had entered a new era of automated, emotionless punishment. It is like a relationship with your ex; cold, silent, and somehow always expensive. The fines? Out of control. Some of them worth more than the actual cars committing the offenses.
And unlike the past where you could ghost a ticket for months, EPS tickets accrue interest like a microfinance loan. This government must be balling. What a genius way to refill the national wallet. Are they saving up for teargas and kiboko ahead of 2026. Because, what in the fruits! The official story was that this was a move to reduce road accidents. Timelines were filled with people crying about their tickets and that was without even driving to Jinja. The fares were going up too, because taxi drivers must factor in future EPS fines.
Meanwhile, boda bodas were living their best lives. Untouchable. Anyway, Ugandans did what they do best; went online and ranted. Hashtags flew like boda bodas, #RejectEPS trended. When senior counsel Mpanga said we would never grow until we could feel each other’s pain, this must have been the moment because for once in a longtime it was the people against the government. The Minister, cool and collected, assured the country that the only person they could report to was God. So Ugandans reported to the Almighty, and guess what? The Almighty heard. EPS was suspended. Hallelujah!
