Prioritise road safety awareness campaigns – VP Alupo

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Vice-President Jessica Alupo has stressed the need to prioritise awareness campaigns to promote responsible road use in Uganda.

She was on Wednesday (May 14) speaking on behalf of President Yoweri Museveni at the 2025 Uganda Road Safety Conference at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala.

Drawing parallels with previous successful public health campaigns such as those against HIV & AIDS, malaria, Ebola, and COVID-19, Alupo said mass sensitisation efforts and strict enforcement of traffic rules can help reduce road carnage.

Uganda loses 14 lives a day to road crashes, including two schoolgoing children, according to the transport ministry.

Alupo reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to reducing road crash fatalities and serious injuries by 50 per cent by 2030, as outlined in the National Road Safety Action Plan 2021–2026, which aims for a 25 per cent reduction by the financial year of 2026/2027.

(L-R) H.E. Jessica Rose Epel Alupo, Vice President of the Republic of Uganda, Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, Minister of Works, and Bageya Waiswa, Permanent Secretary Minister of Works and Transport signing a guide for establishment of safe school zone for book Uganda during ministry of works/road safety conference at Speak Resort Munyonyo on May 14, 2025. (Photo by Mary Kansiime)

She further highlighted the Government’s commitment to increasing funding for road safety initiatives, including infrastructure such as pedestrian facilities, enhanced law enforcement, public education campaigns, and emergency medical services.

At the conference held under the theme ‘Road Safety for Socio-Economic Transformation’, the vice-president also highlighted the urgent need to address safety on Uganda’s water bodies.

She said transport safety must be comprehensive and that every journey, by road or water, air or rail, should be safe.

She began reading the President’s speech by observing a solemn moment of silence in remembrance of those the country has lost to road crashes.

She also used the occasion to launch the Safe Schools Zones Establishment Guide and the Non-Motorised Transport Manual prepared by the ministry of works and transport.

The Safe School Zones guidelines provide for raised walkways, raised zebra crossings, proper signage and crossing supervisors, while the Non-Motorised Transport Manual provides practical solutions for designing inclusive streets that prioritise pedestrians and cyclists, reduce congestion and promote sustainable mobility.

Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala, Minister of Works, during ministry of works/road safety conference at Speak Resort Munyonyo on May 14, 2025. (Photo by Mary Kansiime)

Minister of Works and Transport Gen. Katumba Wamala emphasised that road accidents claim over 5,000 lives annually in Uganda, with far-reaching effects beyond the human loss affecting tourism, trade, conferences, overall national development, and branding the country as a high-risk destination.

He called for the implementation of 30 km/h speed limits in high-density urban areas and the expansion of non-motorised transport infrastructure to protect pedestrians and cyclists.