Who is entitled to right of way?

Everyday, we receive letters from you touching on various issues in your communities. Here is a selection of what some of you have sent us this week . . .

THE QUESTION OF RIGHT OF WAY

I agree with MP Muyanja Ssenyonga about the need to regulate the right of way on our roads and highways and to clarify which dignitaries have it. We ordinary road users are terrified at the sound of sirens and sight of flashing lights. The many dignitaries send us scampering off roads as they break basic road rules including the supposedly sacrosanct "Keep Left" rule! I am afraid when they are on the roll; they are akin to bodaboda riders - not a flattering comparison! The "dignitaries" I have encountered include the President, his deputy and prime minister; cultural leaders, myriad ministers, commissioners and commissioners general, army generals, ambassadors and some lesser diplomats. I have also encountered judges of various grades, the Speaker of Parliament and her deputy.

"Dignitaries" also include anyone who imagines they are a VIP, has installed a siren and flashing lights from Kisekka Market and perhaps managed to secure a Police escort. So on a short journey say to Kajjansi, it is not uncommon to be sent scampering off the road eight or nine times in 30 minutes by unruly drivers of these persons' vehicles. Then the use of the incessant sirens! Sometimes sirens seem to be turned on just to announce the presence of a "dignitary" even in circumstances where there is no hold-up in traffic and the convoy can make steady progress; or when there is absolutely no chance for ‘lesser' road users to create passage for the dignitary in a hurry!

So, yes, someone should advise who may or may not use or misuse sirens. And except in very exceptional circumstances, dignitaries should instruct their drivers to respect the Highway Code. Otherwise the message some drivers get is that it is alright to fl out the rules if observing them seems inconvenient. Rules ensure predictability which in turn minimises grief.

H.G. K. Nyakoojo Buziga, Kampala

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IS LUKWAGO INTERESTED IN SERVICE DELIVERY?

 
On July 19, I attended the programme for the induction of mayors, authority and division councilors organised by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) at Imperial Resort Beach in Entebbe. The executive director, Jennifer Musisi, presented a thorough report highlighting KCCA's achievements in the last five years.

They were many and included the construction of the Kampala flyover, with a sh600b loan from the Government of Japan. Work will begin next year. The mood was good and optimistic. Then the Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago, walked in late and put a damper on everything! He said that he was disappointed and that there was need for a review on the last five years of KCCA, including his own office.

If Lukwago had arrived earlier he would have seen Musisi's report. He was tough-talking and belligerent to the point that some persons wondered if the Lord Mayor was really ready to facilitate service delivery with service delivery in KCCA. Some people felt that Lukwago deliberately made these statements in front of the media to give the false impression that Musisi was being unfair to him. This is why the minister for Kampala, Beti Kamya, stood up and told the gathering that she was committed to service delivery and the fulfilment of the 2020 Vision to transform Uganda into a middle income country not to "fight wars". She also wondered why Lukwago had refused to meet President Yoweri Museveni and urged him to have a good attitude. Kamya and Lukwago were both members of the opposition in the Eighth Parliament. There is still hope they will work together.

Joseph Jabo, Uganda Media Centre

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URGENT NEED TO WEED OUT QUACK LAB TECHNICIANS

I wish to thank the government for investing in the training of medical laboratory scientists and other medical professionals. Medical laboratory science plays a great role in public health. The diagnosis made in the lab leads to the right treatment, monitoring treatment, research and prognosis. Most medical facilities in Uganda, however, lack trained medical laboratory technicians or employ untrained personnel.

We receive many patients who have done medical tests from small clinics and are not sure of the accuracy of the tests. False positive result are quite common. Some of the tests are done by nurses who are not trained to do so. But the solution is simple. I appeal to Ugandans to give medical laboratory technicians a chance to do their job. They are very important. The government should crack down on quack laboratory technchians who are trying to take chances with patients' lives. A pilot flies a plane but a driver drives a car. Let us stick to our specialties.

Julius Peter Keckare Najjera Hospital