News
Passenger turns whistleblower as police arrest driver over overloading
Kananura said the driver of motor vehicle registration number UBR 062M ignored lawful instructions to stop at Nyarutobo and sped off.
Passenger turns whistleblower as police arrest driver over overloading
By: John Masaba, Journalist @New Vision
________________
A defiant motorist is in police custody after allegedly overloading passengers and fleeing from traffic officers along the Mbarara-Bushenyi Road.
The incident unfolded on Monday (July 13) at approximately 10:45am, according to police, following a timely tip-off from a passenger inside the vehicle.
According to Michael Kananura, spokesperson for the Uganda Police Force’s Traffic and Road Safety Directorate, the driver of motor vehicle registration number UBR 062M ignored lawful instructions to stop at Nyarutobo and sped off.
Michael Kananura, spokesperson for the Uganda Police Force’s Traffic and Road Safety Directorate. (File)
However, a coordinated interception by traffic officers ahead successfully boxed in and impounded the vehicle in neighbouring Sheema district.
The driver now faces charges of carrying passengers beyond the permitted capacity and failing to stop for a uniformed police officer, according to a police statement released on Monday.
He remains detained at Bushenyi Central Police Station pending formal prosecution.
The arrest highlights a shift by the Uganda Police Force towards crowdsourced enforcement, with members of the public increasingly helping authorities identify dangerous road behaviour.
The development comes amid growing public concern over rising road accidents.
In 2025 alone, more than 5,383 people lost their lives on Ugandan roads, an average of 14 deaths per day.
Police have consistently identified careless overtaking, excessive speeding and dangerous overloading as leading contributors to road fatalities, with overloading severely compromising vehicle stability, particularly among commuter taxis.
According to Kananura, the Traffic Directorate has historically relied on stationary checkpoints and "Fika Salama" operations.
He however noted that rogue drivers have increasingly exploited these methods by using mobile phones and WhatsApp groups to alert one another about police locations. He added that some offenders comply at checkpoints, only to recklessly overload or speed after passing the barriers.
Kananura noted that because police cannot physically monitor every kilometre of vast highways such as the Masaka-Mbarara-Bushenyi route, blind spots have frequently contributed to serious accidents in trading centres.
To address these enforcement gaps, the Directorate has introduced a real-time "intercept" mechanism that combines citizen reporting with mobile highway patrols and coordination between districts.
When a passenger or roadside witness reports dangerous behaviour, the Police Command Centre immediately shares the vehicle’s registration number, description and direction of travel with patrol units ahead.
As demonstrated in the recent Sheema district interception, if a driver ignores an initial stop, officers avoid dangerous high-speed pursuits.
Instead, they coordinate with the next district checkpoint to safely impound the vehicle and arrest the offender.
By ensuring that drivers who evade immediate orders face legal consequences, including formal prosecution rather than routine Express Penalty Scheme fines, police aim to tackle the culture of impunity on the roads.
"We warn all those who engage in violations that endanger lives that firm enforcement action will continue against all offenders," Kananura stressed in a statement.
According to Kananura, the Traffic Directorate has historically relied on stationary checkpoints and "Fika Salama" operations.
He however noted that rogue drivers have increasingly exploited these methods by using mobile phones and WhatsApp groups to alert one another about police locations. He added that some offenders comply at checkpoints, only to recklessly overload or speed after passing the barriers.
Kananura noted that because police cannot physically monitor every kilometre of vast highways such as the Masaka-Mbarara-Bushenyi route, blind spots have frequently contributed to serious accidents in trading centres.
To address these enforcement gaps, the Directorate has introduced a real-time "intercept" mechanism that combines citizen reporting with mobile highway patrols and coordination between districts.
When a passenger or roadside witness reports dangerous behaviour, the Police Command Centre immediately shares the vehicle’s registration number, description and direction of travel with patrol units ahead.
As demonstrated in the recent Sheema district interception, if a driver ignores an initial stop, officers avoid dangerous high-speed pursuits.
Instead, they coordinate with the next district checkpoint to safely impound the vehicle and arrest the offender.
By ensuring that drivers who evade immediate orders face legal consequences, including formal prosecution rather than routine Express Penalty Scheme fines, police aim to tackle the culture of impunity on the roads.
"We warn all those who engage in violations that endanger lives that firm enforcement action will continue against all offenders," Kananura stressed in a statement.
He commended the anonymous passenger whose quick thinking led to Monday’s arrest, underscoring the police message that road safety is a collective responsibility.
"Such responsible action contributes significantly to improving road safety and protecting the lives of all road users," Kananura noted.
"The Uganda Police Force continues to urge the public to play an active role in curbing road carnage by reporting dangerous driving behaviors to the national toll-free numbers, 0800 199 099 and 0779 999 999, or via official social media channels such as @PoliceUg, to ensure timely and life-saving police intervention."
The development comes days after 15 people were killed and 21 critically injured survivors were recorded following a horrific Tuesday night head-on collision along the Kampala-Gulu Highway.
The crash, which occurred on July 7, 2026, at approximately 9:30pm at Kulo-Otit trading centre in Bobi subcounty, Omoro district, involved an Opit Travellers passenger bus registration number UBE1101H travelling to Gulu and a Kenyan-registered commercial trailer registration number KBS564B travelling from Juba, South Sudan, towards Kampala.
Police reports confirmed that the fatalities included the drivers of both heavy vehicles, a transit passenger aboard the trailer and 12 passengers from the bus.
Preliminary investigations by traffic police attributed the crash to excessive speeding by both heavy vehicles during late-night hours.
Aswa West River Regional Police spokesperson David Ongom Mudong said the speed of both vehicles intensified the impact, resulting in instant fatalities for both drivers.
However, management from Opit Bus Company pointed to an immediate external trigger.
Emmanuel Rubangakene, speaking on behalf of the company, said eyewitness accounts indicated that an unexpected obstacle on the dark highway forced the fatal trajectory.
"A drunk man suddenly crossed the road, thereby causing the bus driver to lose control," Rubangakene explained.
"This resulted in the collision with the oncoming lorry, which was also moving at high speed."
"Such responsible action contributes significantly to improving road safety and protecting the lives of all road users," Kananura noted.
"The Uganda Police Force continues to urge the public to play an active role in curbing road carnage by reporting dangerous driving behaviors to the national toll-free numbers, 0800 199 099 and 0779 999 999, or via official social media channels such as @PoliceUg, to ensure timely and life-saving police intervention."
The development comes days after 15 people were killed and 21 critically injured survivors were recorded following a horrific Tuesday night head-on collision along the Kampala-Gulu Highway.
The crash, which occurred on July 7, 2026, at approximately 9:30pm at Kulo-Otit trading centre in Bobi subcounty, Omoro district, involved an Opit Travellers passenger bus registration number UBE1101H travelling to Gulu and a Kenyan-registered commercial trailer registration number KBS564B travelling from Juba, South Sudan, towards Kampala.
Police reports confirmed that the fatalities included the drivers of both heavy vehicles, a transit passenger aboard the trailer and 12 passengers from the bus.
Preliminary investigations by traffic police attributed the crash to excessive speeding by both heavy vehicles during late-night hours.
Aswa West River Regional Police spokesperson David Ongom Mudong said the speed of both vehicles intensified the impact, resulting in instant fatalities for both drivers.
However, management from Opit Bus Company pointed to an immediate external trigger.
Emmanuel Rubangakene, speaking on behalf of the company, said eyewitness accounts indicated that an unexpected obstacle on the dark highway forced the fatal trajectory.
"A drunk man suddenly crossed the road, thereby causing the bus driver to lose control," Rubangakene explained.
"This resulted in the collision with the oncoming lorry, which was also moving at high speed."