A day in the life of Francis Kitaka who helps people park cars in Kampala

Parking in Kampala is one of the most hectic things as drivers find it difficult to get where to put their cars, mainly because there are too many cars in town but also because people are very poor drivers.

In this hustle by drivers, Francis Kitaka, a born of Mayuge district in Eastern Uganda realized he could make money out of helping people park their vehicles.

“Having worked in one of the sugarcane plantations in our area, I used to admire tractor drivers. I would later be allowed to learn how to drive tractors but little did I know that these driving skills would later come in handy,” Kitaka says.

 The 23-year-old say after completing S.4 in 2022, he was brought by a relative to work at a parking lot in Kampala as a security guard.

 “From here, I realized many people found problems being able to park properly. I took this opportunity to help them park properly.”

He says having realized that he could earn money out of helping people park, he left the parking lot and went to the “street” where he started helping people park and currently operates on Wilson Road.

 “My day begins as early as 6am as I wake up, take a shower and move to the city centre to start work,” Kitaka says.

 He says he reaches the city centre at around 7:30am to start work.

According to Kitaka when he comes, he goes straight to his workplace, Wilson Street to wait for motorists coming to park.

“Since the road has three parking spaces, many drivers, especially women who work in nearby arcades find difficulty in parking properly. Therefore, my services come in handy but at a fee,” he says.

He explains that he also helps book parking space for motorists who again pay him.

“When a motorist comes, I show them where to park but, on most occasions, these find difficult in parking properly. This is where I come in to help them and each pays shs1000 for my services.”

 He says he is busy in the morning up to around 11am when he goes to get breakfast at a nearby eating place.

 Kitaka adds that between 11am and 3pm, the street is not so busy and therefore uses this time to also go for lunch.

“Between 3pm and 8pm, the streets are busy as people are leaving to return home and here I again help many to get their cars out of the parking spaces. By 8:30pm, almost the city is empty and I leave for home as I wait for the next day.”

The 23-year-old says where he has not worked for long, he has earned something out of his job.

“I am able to pay rent for my house and look at my family. Whereas it not the job I would have desired, I am happy that I earn something out of it. I can earn shs500,000 a month out of this job,” he says.

 He however says he dreams of returning to school to complete education and reach his dream of becoming a lawyer.