Traffic Police spokesperson Michael Kananura has announced a renewed nationwide crackdown on overloading, warning that the illegal practice continues to fuel road crashes despite ongoing enforcement operations.
Kananura said traffic officers have stepped up operations under the Arrive Alive campaign, targeting drivers of taxis, buses and private vehicles who exceed legally permitted passenger limits.
"In most cases we find operators putting people in corridors and even installing chairs to carry more passengers, which is illegal," he said in an interview with Nile Post.
He noted that vehicles designed to carry 14 passengers are often found transporting up to 18 or 19, while smaller cars licensed for five occupants sometimes carry up to 10. According to police, such violations breach both licensing and insurance conditions.
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Under the intensified crackdown, offenders face on-the-spot fines, court charges or warnings depending on the severity of the offence.
Bus operators risk being charged for breaching their operator licences, attracting fines of up to Shs200,000, while drivers of smaller vehicles face penalties of Shs100,000 for interfering with safe driving.
Kananura said thousands of motorists have already been penalized in recent operations, with enforcement teams deployed on major highways and urban routes.
He warned that overloading not only violates the law but also increases the likelihood of fatal crashes by affecting vehicle stability, causing tyre bursts and reducing driver control.
Police are also targeting dangerous loading, including excessive luggage on rooftops or beyond designated spaces, which poses risks to passengers and other road users.
Despite the crackdown, Kananura admitted that some drivers continue to evade enforcement by offloading excess passengers before reaching checkpoints and reloading them afterward. In some cases, passengers are transferred onto motorcycles to bypass inspection points.
"This is why road safety is a collective responsibility," he said, urging passengers to refuse boarding overloaded vehicles.
Police have also turned to public reporting to strengthen enforcement, using photos and videos shared on social media as evidence to track and prosecute offenders.
However, Kananura acknowledged challenges, including limited manpower and lack of advanced monitoring technology, which make it difficult to cover all roads.
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Road safety advocates say the crackdown must be sustained to have lasting impact. Sam Bambaza, Executive Director of Safe Transport and Survivors Support Uganda, said overloading remains widespread across both passenger and cargo transport.
He noted that some buses carry up to 80 passengers despite a capacity of about 67, while taxis on long-distance routes routinely exceed their limits.
Bambaza also linked the problem to weak enforcement and corruption, claiming some drivers bribe their way through checkpoints.
"Drivers bribe their way through police checkpoints, which enables overloaded vehicles to continue operating," he said.
He added that limited weighbridges make it difficult to control overloading of cargo trucks, contributing to road damage and increased maintenance costs.
Both police and road safety experts are now calling for stricter enforcement, tougher penalties and greater public cooperation to end the practice.
Authorities warn that unless the crackdown is matched with behavioral change among drivers and passengers, overloading will continue to put lives at risk on Uganda's roads.
