‘Every journey should end with everyone going back home alive’

KAMPALA - Road safety activists say Ugandans will only and always travel safely if motorists take responsibility to know the speed limit one must drive, be aware of the rules, and know how to identify a speed limit on a particular road.

“Use the roads with awareness, responsibility, and care. As we remember the parents, children, and friends whose journeys were cut short by speeding, reckless overtaking, and unchecked vulnerabilities on our roads, we also urge every Ugandan to embrace caution, compliance, and traffic rules,” said road safety advocate Joseph Beyanga, alias Joe Walker.

He made the remarks on Saturday (November 15, 2025) after the Joe Walker Remembrance 60km Relay Walk, which was held in solidarity with road crash victims. 

“To see relatives of crash victims walking for the first time means more than numbers. It shows that what we are doing is about human lives, not statistics. This walk to me means everything; it is a sign of hope that there are still people out there who are not sleeping and who care. So, let us enhance road safety and promote collaboration among all stakeholders to improve road safety,” Beyanga insisted, adding that every journey should end when everyone goes back home alive. 

The third edition of its kind, the walk, was organised by the Joe Walker Foundation, in partnership with Sheraton Hotel Kampala, Orthopedic Society of Uganda, Nicole Foundation, the Ministry of Works and Transport, Fun Cycling Uganda, and the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System (ITMS), which also donated sh10m, among others.

All the donated proceeds were given to Mulago National Referral Hospital to acquire emergency medical equipment for road crash victims battling threatening life injuries resulting from crashes, according to Beyanga.

14 Ugandans die daily

In February this year, the Police traffic and road safety directorate released its 2024 road crash statistics, showing that more Ugandans are perishing in traffic crashes daily.

The report showed 5,144 Ugandans died in traffic accidents in 2024, translating to 14 daily deaths. This was an increase compared to 4,806 people who perished in road crashes in 2023, and this translated to 13 road deaths every day.

According to Lawrence Niwabiine, the commandant traffic and road safety directorate, more road deaths were recorded between 6:00pm and 8:00pm whereby 894 Ugandans lost their lives.

This was followed by deaths that occurred between 8:00pm and 10:00pm, which stood at 514, while the third highest road deaths occurred between 4:00pm and 6:00pm, which stood at 511.

“The highest number of crashes in 2024 (3,780) occurred between 18:00hrs and 19:59hrs. Similarly, fatal crashes (894) were also highest between 18:00hrs and 19:59hrs,” Niwabiine stated.

Police indicated that road deaths have continuously been on the rise. For instance, 4,534 died in 2022 traffic accidents, which meant 12 people per day. The deaths rose to 4,806 in 2023, translating to 13 deaths per day, and now 5,144, meaning 14 deaths each day.

What participants said

ITMS' Devota Ingabire said their commitment to road safety does not end with technology, but extending to lives that technology aimed to protect, urging motorists to observe traffic signs and reduce speeding, that he termed as the route cause of road crashes across the country.

Widow, Catherine Ndagire, who lost her husband (Oscar Ojambo) last year in a road crash along the Northern bypass, and flagged off the walk said road safety, is a public health and development priority, insisting that the event enabled her remember her deceased husband, and gave a message of hope to her  family and other victims.