A number of commercial banks have announced that they will change their time of closure to allow their staff to get back home before 7:00 pm curfew time.

“We will be closing our branches at 2 pm effective today to manage the government curfew time. Apologies for any inconveniences.” Diamond Trust Bank (DTB) wrote to its customers on Wednesday, May 27.

Similarly, Orient bank has also informed its customers already that it would open at 9 am and close at 2 pm for mostly city-based branches. The bank spokesperson Mr Emmanuel Njuki said the rationale for a change in operation time is “to help staff beat curfew.”

Whereas some banks have not yet announced that they will shift from the 3 pm closing time, at least two banks have already sent messages to their customers saying they will be closing at 2 pm.

The decision by the banks follows heavy traffic on roads since the return of private cars on Tuesday, May, 26 that has seen many being arrested for flouting the curfew time.

In a related development, Parliament on Wednesday requested asked president Museveni to extend curfew time from 7:00 pm to at least 9:00 pm.