The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | Julius Businge | The Minister of Works and Transport, Gen. Edward Katumba has appealed to all Ugandans to join the fight against irresponsible road usage in the country especially during the upcoming festive season which coincides with the political campaign period in the run up to national elections come January 2021.
He made these remarks while launching the Third National Road Safety Summit held in Kampala, according to a media release from Vivo Energy Uganda dated Dec.08.
“Extreme caution must be exercised,” Wamala said.
He added: “We want to see a reduction in accidents that can be largely avoidable. For this reason, I direct the traffic police and other stakeholders to increase strict enforcement on the roads during this season, through the special operation ‘Fika Salaama’ previously initiated in 2016 to curb traffic offences. Only then shall we change the behaviour on the road.”
The Director of Traffic and Road Safety at the Uganda Police Force, Commissioner Bazil Mugisha, reported a 0.4% increase in the number of crashes from 12,805 in 2018 to 12,858 in 2019.
Of these, 3,407 were fatal, 5,992 were serious and 3,459 were minor accidents. Similarly, there was a 5% increase in the total number of persons killed in 2019 with motorcyclists and their passengers and pedestrians forming the largest number of casualties.
The National Road Safety Summit is one of the various stakeholder engagements sponsored by Vivo Energy Uganda as the Ministry of Works and Transport marks its annual National Road Safety Week under the theme “Road Safety for Prosperity.”
It brought together key stakeholders and decision makers in road safety, under the sub-theme “Road Safety: Create a stand against irresponsible road use.”
