By Ritah Kemigisa.
Travel agents under their umbrella body, the Uganda Association of travel agents have threatened to sue government for a debt of unpaid tickets amounting to shs 4.5 trillion.
Addressing journalists this morning, the chairperson of the association Pearl Kakooza says their decision follows a government’s directive to all its agencies to start procuring air tickets directly from airlines and not from the travel agents.
Kakooza says the directive is a betrayal to the over 4000 Ugandans who are employed by this sector and thus are at risk of losing their jobs and a counterproductive policy to have a private sector led economy.
The agents now want the government to pay all travel agents their money and also withdraw this directive with immediate effect.
A PPDA letter dated 28th May 2018 sent out to all government ministries, departments and agencies directed all accounting officers to start effective next financial year 2018/2019 to start buying airtickets directly from airlines and not through travel agents.
