Dan Kimosho, the Member of Parliament for Kazo County, has issued a strong warning over the state of road safety in Uganda, highlighting systemic failures in driver education, law enforcement, and public awareness.
Speaking during an exclusive interview with NBS Television on Monday, Kimosho pointed to widespread gaps in road user knowledge and institutional weaknesses that continue to fuel accidents across the country.
"Many Ugandans lack proper understanding of correct road use, and this problem begins with how people are trained to drive. There is insufficient focus on educating road users about accident prevention," he said.
Kimosho identified corruption as a major contributor to unsafe roads, noting that some drivers bypass regulations through bribery.
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"Vehicles are often driven in unsafe mechanical conditions, and some drivers resort to bribing traffic officers. Drunk driving is also a serious concern," he said.
These factors, he warned, create a dangerous environment for all road users, especially in a country heavily reliant on road transport.
Uganda's transport system is overwhelmingly dependent on roads. Of the four available transport modes--road, rail, air, and inland water--approximately 95 percent of Ugandans rely on road transport.
The country's road network spans 159,520 kilometres. Within this network, national roads account for 21,010 kilometres, representing 13 percent of the total.
District roads make up 38,603 kilometres, equivalent to 24 percent, while urban roads cover 19,959 kilometres, accounting for 12 percent.
Despite this extensive network, infrastructure quality remains a challenge. Less than five percent of Uganda's roads are paved. Among the paved sections, national roads account for 25.69 percent, district roads represent just 0.28 percent, and urban roads account for 6.16 percent. Community access roads remain entirely unpaved.
Data from the 2019 Motorway Masterplan Traffic Survey indicates that motorcycles, commonly referred to as boda bodas, dominate road usage, accounting for 51.64 percent of traffic.
Cars follow at 29.73 percent, while buses make up 11.74 percent. Trucks account for 6.68 percent of road usage, and tractors represent a minimal 0.21 percent.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) 2020 report, boda bodas were responsible for 31 percent of all road accidents in 2019, highlighting their significant role in the country's road safety challenges.
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Kimosho acknowledged that Uganda has developed strong road safety policies--some of which have attracted international recognition--but emphasised that enforcement remains the weakest link.
"Uganda has some of the best road safety policies--so much so that other countries have looked to us as a model. However, the challenge lies in implementation and monitoring, which remain weak, causing repeated failures," he said.
Kimosho further revealed that only about 10 percent of Ugandans are aware of these policies, and even among those who are informed, compliance remains low.
"Many still violate the rules because they believe they can bypass consequences," he said.
He warned that unless government strengthens enforcement, improves driver training, and increases public awareness campaigns, road accidents will continue to claim lives and strain the country's health and transport systems.
