Entebbe road accidents kill over 1,000 yearly – Police

KAMPALA. At least four people are knocked dead by speeding motor vehicles and boda bodas on Entebbe Road every day, the director traffic police and road safety, Dr Steven Kasiima, has said.

Dr Kasiima, who was speaking at a national road safety workshop at Hotel Africana on Friday, said the victims die in hit and run accidents daily, implying nearly 1,440 deaths are recorded on Entebbe Road annually.

“Four people are knocked dead by speeding motor vehicles and boda bodas on Entebbe road every day. We just find people knocked but the vehicles are not usually identified. Pedestrians are usually knocked down while crossing and the offenders don’t stop,” Dr Kasiima said.

Police statistics released at the end of June also show that five people die in accidents every day in Kampala Metropolitan area that covers Kampala City, Wakiso and Mukono districts.

The police released the statistics after 223 people had died in six weeks, meaning accidents claim an average of 36 lives every week and five daily.

Earlier in June, Mr Charles Ssebambulidde, the traffic police spokesperson, said a total of 877 accidents were recorded in the four weeks of May and another 129 recorded in the two weeks of June. The May crashes recorded 170 deaths and 707 injuries.
In the first half of June, police listed 127 victims of which 53 died while another 74 sustained serious injuries.

Police said the accidents recorded in the six weeks claimed at least 85 pedestrians, 60 motorcyclists, 14 pedal cyclists, 48 passengers and 16 drivers, totaling 223 people who died in road crashes between May and June alone.

Entebbe Road, Kampala Road, Busega roundabout and Jinja Road emerged as the deadliest spots in the six weeks period under review. Police said most of the pedestrians were killed and injured by motorcyclists who do not respect traffic laws even when they meet pedestrians at Zebra crossings.

Dr Kasiima attributed the shocking number of accidents to lack of pedestrian walkways, forcing people to walk close to cars and motorcycles. The traffic police boss also blamed boda boda cyclists that often ride on pavements that could have been safe for pedestrians.

“These boda bodas ride on pavements and do not respect pedestrians. Many people have been knocked on pavements by boda bodas. As police, we only rely on eye witnesses but sometimes no one sees the number plates since they are speeding,” he added.

In response, Works and Transport minister Monica Ntege Azuba said her ministry had engaged Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) to provide walkways on roads in Kampala and other urban centres.

“We know that more than 40 percent of people who die in accidents are pedestrians. We have engaged KCCA and UNRA to construct pedestrian paths on all roads under construction and those that have already been constructed,” Ms Azuba said.

The minister said they had hatched a plan to prevent boda bodas from riding on pavements by placing some poles and hedges that cannot be penetrated by boda boda cyclists.

A survey by the Works and Transport ministry shows Ugandan roads have become increasingly risky and dangerous to most road users, especially pedestrians.

The survey was conducted between 2012 and 2015. A subsequent survey by the Uganda Road Fund on road user satisfaction in 2016 revealed the similar results.

The ministry’s report on road safety and read by Ms Azuba at the launch of the Road User Satisfaction Survey in Kampala early this year indicated that road users are not satisfied with most roads that are being constructed as they do not provide enough space for pedestrians.

The report also cites lack pedestrian walkways on most road networks except roads under Kampala Capital City Authority which have designated pedestrian walkways on most sections.

The report said the neglect of this category of road users should be addressed.
“As we launch this campaign of Road User’s Satisfaction Survey, government has released Shs417b for road maintenance,” she said.

Dr Kasiima said at least 50,000 drivers were arrested, detained, charged and fined during Fika Salama (safe drive) operations, especially on the Kampala-Masaka highway.

He said most of the drivers that were arrested in the crackdown on traffic regulations abuse had fake driving permits.
“The 50,000 drivers we arrested in one year had issues with their driving permits; 70 per cent of them had issues related to driving permits. Some of them had photocopied permits while others didn’t have driving permits at all,” Dr Kasiima said.

He also said 90 per cent of those found with photocopied driving permits had forged them.
“If we say that we shall lose our driving permits if we moved with them, why then can’t we also photocopy money and move with photocopies because we fear for it to be stolen. Everybody ought to move with an original driving permit,” he said.

In a crackdown conducted in Kampala in August, more than 200 drivers and 5,000 cyclists were arrested over lack of genuine driving licences, third party insurance and operating vehicles in dangerous mechanical condition.

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