BLOODSHED IN MBARARA BUS PARK! Bus Operators, KR Boss Karanzi Trade Blows As State House Storms Deadly War
Bloodshed fears are hanging over Mbarara City Bus Park after violent wars between rival bus operators exploded again, leaving one man battling for his life in ICU as security authorities and State House scramble to calm the chaos threatening to turn the busy transport hub into a war zone.
The endless wrangles rocking the park are between the Mbarara City Bus Operators Association, currently managing the park, and the Mbarara Bus Park Directors and Managers Cooperative Society Ltd led by controversial KR Buses boss Richard Karanzi.
What started as competition for passengers, tax collections and control of the park has now degenerated into violent confrontations, threats of mob justice and accusations of police favoritism.
In the latest bloody drama, fists flew and tempers exploded inside the bus park when workers attached to KR Buses company and Swift Coaches clashed in a vicious fight that shocked passengers and traders.
The violence left a Swift Coaches bus blocker identified as Harnington Bariyo nursing severe injuries and fighting for his life in the Intensive Care Unit at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.
According to park management, the violence erupted after Karanzi allegedly confronted Bariyo accusing him of snatching a passenger near a KR Bus. Witnesses claim Karanzi allegedly grabbed Bariyo and started assaulting him before workers from KR Buses allegedly joined in, turning the confrontation into a full-scale scuffle.
The ugly scenes forced park authorities to rush to Bus Park Police Post where they registered a case against Karanzi and KR Buses manager Sali Hashim.
Brian Byekwaso, the Chairman of Mbarara City Bus Operators Association, poured fuel on the fire by accusing Karanzi and his team of being the masterminds behind the endless chaos in the park.
Byekwaso claimed a small group of individuals hiding behind bus ownership have been frustrating park operations and illegally operating in darkness while refusing to cooperate with the official management.
According to him, almost every conflict in the bus park traces back to Karanzi and his KR Buses group who allegedly refuse to follow park guidelines because of personal interests.
He also accused officers at Mbarara Central Police Station of allegedly siding with Karanzi and frustrating justice.
Byekwaso revealed that several cases have reportedly been opened against Karanzi and his team but mysteriously collapse before reaching court, claiming files are never sanctioned.
The furious chairman warned that the situation could soon explode into deadly violence if security agencies continue ignoring the complaints raised by the association.
“If the KR Buses company boss and his team cannot adhere to our Park’s guidelines and rules, let them get out of this park. If Karanzi himself cannot learn how to live with us, we shall forcefully get him out. If the security authorities fail to intervene in ensuring harmony is secured, expect bloodshed in this park. If the police keep adamant about the issues happening in the park and they keep sidlining with Mr. Karanzi, more violence will keep sparking in this park and people will die out of mob justice,” Byekwaso warned.
But Karanzi hit back hard and blamed the violence on what he called poor management and confusion created by authorities.
Speaking angrily, the KR Buses Director accused Mbarara City Council and the office of the Resident City Commissioner of failing to resolve the leadership crisis in the park.
At the center of the storm is an open contract allegedly awarded to Mbarara City Bus Operators Association to manage the park and collect taxes from buses, something Karanzi and his group fiercely oppose.
Karanzi’s camp reportedly petitioned the President’s Office challenging the contract, insisting it is one of the major reasons why violence and divisions have persisted in the park.
He argued that the park currently has two competing power centers — the Association and the Cooperative Society — something he says cannot continue.
Karanzi insisted that as registered bus owners operating under the umbrella of Mbarara Bus Park Directors and Managers Cooperative Society Ltd, they cannot accept being controlled by people they claim do not even own buses.
“Association is not supposed to manage the park, it should not be above the cooperative because we are the owners of the buses and have a registered society. We shall not settle when we still have two managing parties in the park. Those in the office of the management, none of them owns a bus, how can they lead us? Besides, if they want peace let each bus company have its own parking lot, let Swift Bus be separate from us where KR Buses park, this will reduce conflicts in this park,” Karanzi said.
Karanzi also denied personally assaulting Swift bus blocker Harnington Bariyo.
The KR boss claimed he merely intervened to separate fighting workers and denied compromising police to remove his name from the file.
“I didn’t beat this boy so called Bariyo the blocker of Swift Bus, I just intervened to stop the fight that was between my boys and this boy Bariyo. I was around supervising my buses because I am the director of KR Buses and I am supposed to be in the park. I didn’t fight. Despite being put on the police file as an accused in this case, I did not compromise the police to remove me from the same file,” Karanzi said.
He went further and accused some members of park management including Mohamud Mawule and Muza of allegedly manipulating police to implicate him in a scheme aimed at extorting Shs5 million from him.
According to Karanzi, he rejected the alleged demand because he insisted he had committed no offence.
As tensions escalated, State House was forced to intervene.
A few weeks ago, a letter from State House signed by Phionah Birungi, the Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Duties, directed the office of the Mbarara City RCC to intervene in complaints concerning alleged mismanagement of the bus park and the controversial open contract awarded by the Town Clerk.
However, Mbarara City RCC Catheline Kamwine revealed that her office has not yet stepped in because they are waiting for the City Town Clerk’s office to first address the complaints surrounding the allegedly illegal contract.
Mbarara City Town Clerk Justine Barekye confirmed that authorities are fully aware of the dangerous conflicts tearing apart the park and admitted the fights have persisted for quite some time.
Barekye revealed that meetings between the rival factions have repeatedly failed because the groups agree during discussions but immediately resume fighting after returning to the park.
She assured the public that her office together with the RCC are determined to resolve the crisis once and for all.
On the controversial open contract, Barekye maintained that the status quo remains unchanged until investigations and disputes are concluded.
This means the Mbarara City Bus Operators Association will continue managing the park until the contract is amended or reviewed.
“Therefore, I call upon the users of the park to respect this association that it is the one managing the park on our behalf. They are required to put on uniforms as required, they are supposed to park at their designated places that were allocated to them, they are supposed to be disciplined and they are supposed to respect passengers. This business of fighting and pulling passengers must stop,” Barekye warned.
Meanwhile, revelations have emerged that money collected from the bus park is retained by park management offices according to presidential guidelines, while Mbarara City Council only receives a small share through URA meant for rehabilitation of the park.
But as accusations, threats and violent confrontations continue shaking the transport hub, terrified passengers and traders now fear the next fight could end in death if authorities fail to urgently contain the ticking time bomb at Mbarara City Bus Park.
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