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Local govts seek powers to fine errant motorists
The wreckage of taxi that was involved in an accident recently on Fort Portal road. PHOTO / ALEX ASHABA
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Once permitted, the enforcement would be done through the “road safety committees that are mandated to ensure road safety.”
The Leadership of the Uganda Local Government Association (ULGA) has asked legislators to initiate legal provisions that would condition the Ministry of Works to empower local governments to regulate road speed and plough discipline among motorist as a measure of curbing road crashes.
The request was channeled through the vice president of ULGA central region Mr Ibrahim Kitatta who implored the lawmakers on the Parliamentary Forum for Roads Safety (PAFROS) to cause the Ministry of Works to empower local governments.
“Managing speed limits is a function closely tied to local road conditions, accident trends, and enforcement practicality, which local governments are better placed to handle,” Mr Kitatta told MPs on Friday afternoon.
Once permitted, the enforcement would be done through the “road safety committees that are mandated to ensure road safety.”
While referencing Police data on road carnage, Mr Kitatta decried the high road accident cases despite efforts undertaken to manage motor crashes in the country.
“Careless overtaking and speeding were the leading causes of road crashes in the year 2023, accounting for 52 per cent and close to almost half (44.5 per cent) of all crashes in 2024, according to annual police crime report,” Mr Kitatta said.
He added “These deaths have increased notwithstanding the various road safety measures and speed management mechanisms implemented across the country.”
They were concerned that road crashes eat into the government’s meagre resource envelop to manage and treat road accident victims.
The decision to run PAFROS meeting that was on Friday afternoon steered by the Forum’s Vice Chairperson Mr Robert Kasolo was as a result of Works Ministry’s failure to grant their submissions last year.
In submissions made in the presence of the Works Minister Gen Katumba Wamala, Mr Kitatta reported that similar requests were made to the government in a meeting that was held July 31, 2024.
“We resolved and demanded recognition and alignment of the full powers of Local government to manage speed on our District Urban and Community Access Roads,” because “high speed driving on District Urban Community Access Toads (DUCAR), has consistently been highlighted in successive police Road crash report as a significant contributor to Uganda’s high rate of road traffic accidents.”
Among others, local authorities plan to regulate speed by imposing financial fines on persons who defy speed limits in their local jurisdictions.
In response, Gen Katumba stated that “even if I appreciate the challenge they have, I cannot by law delegate those powers [to manage speed in their localities].”
Members of Uganda Local Government Association (ULGA) a meeting with Parliamentary Forum for Roads Safety (PAFROS) and Ministry of Transport officials at parliament on March 21, 2025.
He also wondered if when granted powers, the local authorities would set uniform fines across the country or not.
“Will ULGA set uniform fines for violators of these regulations in their jurisdictions or every local government will have its own fine? That is part of the matter that they will have to examine,” Gen Katumba said.
After a persistent haggle by local government authorities for their requests to be accommodated, Gen Katumba instructed the Commissioner Transport Regulation and Safety, Mr Winston Katushabe to organize another meeting to further digest raised issues .
Push for meeting with Museveni
Considering that their requests could not be granted, the Tororo South MP Mr Fedrick Angura recommended that the Minister causes a meeting between ULGA and President Museveni to cure their cries.
“I want to request that we have an engagement with the President. We are suffocated because we don’t have funds and the communities are suffering. So we need an engagement with the President,” Mr Angura advised Minister Katumba.
In the same way, Mr Angura advised that local governments “provide accountability [of the fees collected from the fines]” once the road carnage containment measure is granted.
Cost of accidents in Uganda
On September 14th 2022, State Minister for Health in charge of general duties Ms Hanifa Kawooya stunned lawmakers on the Physical Infrastructure Committee revealing that the government sank at least Shs1.5 billion on covering medical care of accident victims alone in the country.
"The average cost of treating a critically ill patient is about Shs3.6 million per day. With surgical intervention, the cost rises to Shs13.6 million which translates to Shs648 million for the care of an average Shs180 million critically injured patients at the A and E [Accident and Emergency] unit of Mulago National Referral hospital. Half of these patients require surgery increasing the total cost to Shs 1.548 Billion per month,” Ms Kawooya told MPs.
In the same way, Minister Kawooya stated that the 7th leading cause of death and 45.7 per cent of half admissions at Mulago are patients battling trauma effects.
