The Traffic police spokesperson, ASP Faridah Nampiima, has said police will tighten implementation of all traffic rules and regulations for all boda boda riders as one way of reducing road accidents in Uganda.
ASP Nampiima while talking to over 200 boda-boda riders that attended a training organized by Nile Breweries in partnership with Consult Africa Usalama under the Ondaba Road Safety Campaign at Budu Gardens in Mpigi district noted that Boda Boda riders remain the source of most accidents/ crashes that happen on Ugandan roads and hence need strict regulations to reduce on the number of people that loses their lives on the roads.
“In the last ten months, boda boda riders caused over 8781 accidents, 1148 boda boda riders died and 448 passengers died with over 5973 people sustained serious injuries. This is a very big number to lose every year due to the recklessness of the boda-boda riders,” she said.
Nampiima advised boda boda’s to strictly follow traffic rules like having a valid driving permit and license, observing traffic lights, keeping in their lane, not overloading, having insurance on their motorcycles, not driving under the influence of alcohol or energy drinks among others.
“Your life is very important. Before you decide to break the rules on the road or drive recklessly, think of your family, your children and wife that are waiting for you at home. That is why I have directed our traffic officers to comprehend any boda boda rider that will be found breaking the law, according to the current traffics rules, any one found breaking any of the rules will be charged between Shs 40,000 and Shs 600,000 shilling are imprisoned for 2 years or both” she said.
While speaking at the training today, the NBL Sustainability Manager Clare Asiimwe said; “We are investing in training boda boda riders because we care about their well being. As a company, we strive to impact and improve the welfare of communities. Safe roads are critical to the health and well-being of our colleagues, their families, and communities across the globe.”
Boda Boda riders are the focus of this year’s Road Safety week that was launched on December 6th by the Ministry of Works and Transport and various CSO partners under the theme “Together for boda-boda Safety”.
According to The State Minister of Works & Transport, Hon Echweru Musa, this year’s road safety awareness campaign will last for three months,, from December 2022 to February 2023 with main focus put of training and sensitizing boda boda riders on road safety as they have proved to be the most risky group as far as road crashes are concerned.
“For our road safety plans to be achieved, we need to work together to train motorcyclists , ensure that all rules and regulations put in place are being followed but also make sure that every one incharge of driving on our roads is psychologically healthy and capable of making proper judgement. I want to thank NBL for joining our efforts through their road safety campaign, Ondaba, we all need to see each other on the roads to keep safe,” Hon Echweru said while launching the National Road Safety Week’s activities at the UNRA grounds in Kyambogo.
A census on motorcycles by KCCA revealed that out of the 42,000 motorcycles registered, 37,000 (88%) were boda bodas. 94% of these boda bodas did not have driving licenses, 98% did not have PSV licenses and only 157 riders had all the requirements to operate.
Nile Breweries is collaborating with government and other civil society to create awareness on road safety. The company officially flagged off the Ondaba Road Safety Campaign on the 18th, November 2022 at Mpigi Health Centre IV in Mpigi District along the Kampala Masaka Highway. Launched against the backdrop of the recent increase in road carnage, the Ondaba Road Safety Campaign will raise awareness on road safety, support enforcement, and strengthen post-crash care interventions across the country, particularly along the Kampala-Masaka Highway, which has been identified to have a high fatality rate.
Uganda has one of the highest road crash fatalities in the East African region. According to Uganda Police Annual Crime Report 2021, there was an increase in road deaths by 14.9%, from 3,663 in 2020 to 4,159 in 2021, with over 12,000 people injured. Some contributing factors to road crashes in Uganda include over-speeding, reckless driving, and drunk driving.
