By Dorothy Nekesa
The Uganda Sports Press
Association (USPA) together
with its partners launched
the 2023 Road safety campaign road
map.
Road crashes is an issue that cannot
be ignored because accidents continue
to increase everyday. At least 4,000
people are lost to road carnage
annually and boda bodas are the
major cause of this. The indiscipline
amongst motorists who ignore basic
traffic rules has made the situation
worse, including high ranking
government officials who continue to
drive on the wrong side of the road”
he elaborated. Wednesday 19th 2023
at the Copper Chimney Restaurant in
Lugogo, Kampala.
Speaking at the launch chief guest
the Minister of Works and Transport
Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala,
urged Ugandans to desist from just
offering Lip service.
“Nearly everyday we see bad
images of accidents and the statistics
are not good. We appreciate USPA
for choosing road safety because
this is everyone’s responsibility and
PLASCON for the partnership but
this is not enough. Even passengers
are rawdy and irresponsible, we
should all be responsible because life
is precious and short” Gen Katumba
cautioned.
“As Ministry we plan to develop
a driving automated system to
establish how prepared our drivers
are and how much training they have
attained.
Road crashes is an issue that cannot
be ignored because accidents continue
to increase everyday. At least 4,000
people are lost to road carnage
annually and boda bodas are the
major cause of this. The indiscipline
amongst motorists who ignore basic
traffic rules has made the situation
worse, including high ranking
government officials who continue to
drive on the wrong side of the road”
he elaborated.
“We have released the Uganda
National Road Safety Action Plan, a
government initiative that seeks to
reduce the number of road crashes,
injuries, and fatalities on our roads.
The main objectives of the Road Safety
Action Plan involves developing and
implementing road safety policies,
legislation, and regulations that are
evidence-based and aligned with
international best practices”.
Organisers plan to improve road
infrastructure, ensure that it is safe,
efficient, and accessible to all road
users, enhancing the capacity of
road transport agencies and other
stakeholders to effectively manage
road safety.
“We airm to strengthen the
enforcement of road safety laws
through enhanced law enforcement,
public education, and awareness
campaigns, improving the postcrash response and emergency
services, strengthening road safety
data collection and analysis for
evidence-based decision-making
and promoting partnerships and
collaboration among government
agencies, civil society organizations,
and the private sector to improve
road safety” Katumba emphasized.
Daniel Kayongo Kansai Plascon
Brand manager said, as the leading
paint and coatings company in the
region, beyond selling our products
we have an obligation to our
customers and societies in which we
operate. Onus is on us to support
causes that are impactful to the society
like Road safety.
We shall be in Jinja creating
awareness around schools together
with leaders so as to sensitive our
people on matters respecting other
road users and the role of a road
safety hero. We shall re- paint zebra
crossings too because this is a matter
of life and death and it ought to be
approached with equal seriousness,”
Kayongo expressed.
The USPA’s Road Safety Campaign
aims to create awareness and educate
the public, especially drivers and
pedestrians, on the importance of
following traffic rules and regulations.
The campaign involves partnering
with different stakeholders, including
government agencies, private sector
organizations, and non-governmental
organizations.
USPA President, Moses Al Sayeed
Lubega, Emmanuel Ainebyoona,
a spokesperson for the Ministry
of Health (MoH), Representatives
from Uganda Police’s Directorate of
Traffic and Road Safety and National
Council of sports Officials also graced
this year’s edition.
Lubega revealed that the activations
for the campaign will take shape in
August. These will include media
activations to sensitize motorists on
road safety, and processions for the
same cause (2nd and 4th August
respectively). On 3rd August, the
association will hold a requiem
mass for the Association deceased
colleagues who perished in an
accident while on duty, Alsayed
explained.
Some of the participants during the USPA – Plascon road Safety launch
“The intention of the campaign is to
advocate for order and responsibility
amongst motorists while on the road.
I believe that we as media have a big
role to play in creating awareness
about road safety in this country.
USPA is taking the mantle to every
Uganda to take the initiative of being
the road safety hero or heroin the
scribe’s guru added.
Ministry of Health’s Edwin
Ainebyoona noted that the ministry
has equipped hospitals with
ambulances and other equipment to
deal with post-crash incidents. He
said that prevention is better than
cure, if motorists are cautious on
the road, hospitals can concentrate
on treating diseases and not injuries
sustained from road carnages.
From left, Health Ministry’s PRO, Mr Emma Ainebyona, Works Minister Gen.
Edward Katumba, USPA President Mr Moses Alsayed Lubega and Plascon
Brand Mr Daniel Kayongo
“Rampant road accidents are
among the top five causes of death in
Uganda, we call upon all motorists
to take charge of their lives on the
road and lives of those people around
them on the road. MoH through the
hospitals will continue to take care
of accident victims at the emergency
sections but it would be good if these
accidents are prevented in the first
place,since prevention is better than
cure” Ainebyoona revealed.
Plascon are the leading partner in
this years campaign edition and are
pleased to partner with the Ministry
of Works and Transport, City Tyres,
Hardware World, Standard Chartered
Bank and Nile Special in a road safety
campaign that aims at shining a
spotlight on the importance of being a
responsible driver/road user in-order
to avoid the risks and dangers that
come with reckless driving.
Through this campaign, USPA
has organized road safety seminars
and forums, distributed road safety
materials, and created social media
campaigns to sensitize the public.
According to the Uganda Police
Force annual crime report of 2020, a
total of 3,527 people died as a result of
road accidents, while 9,408 others were
injured. Several factors contribute to
the high number of road accidents
in Uganda, including over-speeding,
reckless driving, drunk driving,
poor infrastructure, inadequate road
signs, and insufficient traffic law
enforcement■
