Mandatory vehicle inspection to begin with govt cars

KAMPALA - Mandatory inspection of vehicles, which is aimed at reducing the number of cars in dangerous mechanical condition on the road, will soon start, New Vision Online has learnt.

The development, which comes over two years after vehicle inspector SGS company contract suspension, is expected to reduce on-road carnage in the country.

The Government had signed a contract with SGS to undertake routine inspection of all vehicles in the country, but the agreement was terminated after Parliament found irregularities in the manner in which it was signed.

However, Deputy Attorney General Jackson Kafuuzi in October 2023, revealed that the errors committed by Government during the cancellation of the mandatory vehicle inspection project left devastating consequences for Ugandan taxpayers who must pay over shillings 200 billion in fines to the aggrieved Swiss contractor: SGS.

It should be recalled that in June 2017, then Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga directed Parliament’s Committee on Physical Infrastructure to investigate the mandatory inspection and circumstances surrounding the contract award after concerns arose around the impending 30th June 2017 deadline for vehicle inspection.

Queries were being raised on how SGS was going to implement the set deadline, yet it hadn’t met its part of the contract.

Following the investigation into the matter, the MPs on the committee failed to agree on the final decision to be taken, explaining the emergence of the two reports.

However, the majority report warned against cancellation of the contract between Government and SGS, saying it would have catastrophic financial consequences for Ugandan taxpayers.

Later in 2023, works ministry commissioner in charge of transport Winstone Katushabe said that with the increasing fatalities on the road, it is no longer prudent to rely on individuals to inspect vehicles.

Now, the works ministry says the exercise will begin with government of Uganda fleet after steps towards implementing automated vehicle implementation.

Ministry principal communications officer/spokesperson Susan Kataike in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on July 24, 2025, said a recent stakeholder engagement concerning the drive brought together Uganda Bus Owners Association (UBOA), Uganda Taxi Operators Federation (UTOF) – Kampala, Boda-Boda Association and the Regional Lorry Drivers and Transporters Association.

"The session featured a detailed presentation outlining the objectives and benefits of the inspection programme with open dialogue and valuable feedback from stakeholders.
This marks a significant step in enhancing road safety and ensuring vehicle compliance through automated inspection technology".

Crash statistics

Some of the road crashes are blamed on vehicles in dangerous mechanical condition, while others are due to human error and counterfeit spare parts.

According to the Annual Police Crime Report 2024, the number of reported road crashes increased by 6.4% in 2024, from 23,608 in 2023 to 25,107 in 2024.

It adds that the number of reported fatal crashes also increased by 6.1%, from 4,179 in 2023 to 4,434 in 2024. The number of serious crashes increased by 5.2%, from 12,487 in 2023 to 13,134 in 2024.

The number of minor crashes increased by 8.6% from 6,942 in 2023 to 7,539 in 2024.

Fatalities

Regarding fatalities, the highest number (481) was recorded in August, while the lowest (365) was in April.

The report said collisions with pedestrians constituted 19.5% of all crashes while rear-end collisions and side swipes accounted for 16.2% and 17.7%, respectively.

Head-on collisions accounted for 13%, angle collisions 10.5% and 9% of all crashes were single vehicle crashes.

Collisions where vehicles hit other parked vehicles, hit objects on road, hit objects off road and hit animals accounted for 1.6%, 1.5%, 1.8% and 0.8%, respectively.

The report also said that more crashes were reported to have occurred during the day than at night.

There were more crashes (3,790) reported on Sundays than on any other day of the week in 2024. In addition, 3,765 and 3,686 crashes were reported on Saturdays and Mondays. Fewer crashes (3,330) were reported on Tuesdays compared to the other days of the week.

“Careless overtaking and speeding were the leading causes of road crashes in the year 2024, accounting for close to half (44.5%) of all crashes,” the report said.