THE Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) mock drills have been called off after Kampala city experienced one of its worst traffic jams in recent times on Wednesday evening. So bad were the jams on most city roads that Police boss Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura apologised to the nation.
Kayihura explained that the drill, which was meant to be repeated today, had been differed to allow a review of the exercise to avoid a recurrence of Wednesday’s nightmare.
“I witnessed it while returning from Entebbe and I was not pleased. I could not believe what I saw. I felt embarrassed and that is why I apologise for what happened,” Kayihura said.
He said the Police, in conjunction with the ministry of works, would today release a traffic master plan for CHOGM, detailing which roads would be sealed off during the event to avert jams.
Kayihura said more mock drills would be carried out at the weekend. Future drills will be executed after the public has been notified, he pledged.
“It is through rehearsals that we can minimise mistakes. Practice makes perfect, an English proverb goes,” he noted.
He blamed the mess on failure by the Police and other stakeholders to notify the public in advance about the drill and the poor execution of the drill.
Matters, he said, were compounded by the fact that other roads, which would have been used to divert traffic, were under construction. Some of the road repairs were still going on up to yesterday, giving the city another dose of chaotic traffic jams.
As Kayihura addressed journalists at the police headquarters in Kampala, stakeholders were meeting in the main boardroom to review the drills.
On Wednesday, the Police sealed off Kampala-Entebbe road, Kampala road, Ggaba road, Entebbe road and Nile Avenue in a simulation exercise of receiving the Queen of England and five other heads of government.
Many motorists took hours travelling to destinations which usually take them minutes. A passenger said she had spent five hours on the 37km journey to Entebbe, which normally takes 45 minutes.
Shrewd taxi operators more than doubled the fares. Many stranded passengers took refuge in pubs to while away the evening over drinks. Many more walked back home.
Kayihura said they had underestimated the amount of planning required to execute such a drill. “There were certain things we didn’t anticipate to happen. We should have alerted the public in advance and there was a problem of coordination between the traffic officer in charge of the Entebbe-Kampala road and the various convoy commanders in the exercise.”
CHOGM, Kayihura said, is meant to be a happy moment for city dwellers. He warned Special Police Constables against harassing the public. “Their work is to man the junctions in the city and not to demand for identity cards or anything from the public.”
