For a capital city, the state of Kampala's roads is appallingly inapt and an embarrassment. With the current heavy rains, potholes are increasing by the day. At peak hours, commuter cars, private cars, heavy trailers, boda boda cyclists and pedestrians have to compete on the narrow roads, making driving in Kampala an agonising inconvenience.

The problem is not just the painfully heavy traffic. The fact that a journey that should ordinarily take about 20 minutes may take close to two hours because of the static gridlock, is terribly troubling; but what is more worrying is the irresponsible driving and lack of respect for basic traffic regulations. Commuter taxis indiscriminately stop to pick and drop passengers!

It is not surprising that road carnage remains a big problem in this country; with estimates showing that over 2,000 people die in accidents annually.

For parents dropping children to school and rushing to their work places, movement is a herculean task. The same applies to the business community. Authorities must act with urgency to restore order in this mess of a city.

The good news is that the government recently announced that it would soon introduce commercial trains to improve public transport in the city and the surrounding areas as a measure to manage traffic jam.

According to Works and Transport Minister John Nasasira, the government would, under the National Transport Master Plan for the transport sector in Uganda, also resort to the use of public bus transport system. This is a significant plan. If implemented, it would see commuter taxis and commercial cyclists taken out of the city to rid it of congestion. Also in plan is the introduction of passenger train services between Mukono and Kampala aimed at easing Kampala's traffic congestion.

The bad news is that similar proposals have in the past been frustrated by political interference. There are simply too many cyclists in the city centre, sharing the same road with other motorists. Commercial cyclists must be restricted to certain areas of the city and their numbers limited to reduce congestion.

With this new plan, the likelihood of having an improved transportation system seems likely. The challenge remains implementation which will require not just political will but also infrastructure development and strict traffic regulations enforcement.