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Mabira forest: Motorists’ highway to hell

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Mabira Forest Highway is a preferred route by many motorists due to its wider lanes, shorter distance, and quicker access to destinations. However, it has earned a notorious reputation as a dangerous stretch, often likened to a “gateway to hell.”

A traffic police officer stationed at Mabira Forest, who requested anonymity, reveals that at least 12 people lost their lives on the highway last August alone.
“The accidents are always head-on collisions and occur in the morning or at night as motorists struggle to dodge the potholes and opt to use either side of the lane meant for the right users,” he says.

But like the biblical highway to hell, many still choose that perilous 30-kilometer Mabira forest stretch and not the safer but difficult 74-kilometer Nile-Nyenga-Katosi-Mukono highway, nor the Kayunga-Kampala highway.

Police respond
Mr Michael Kananura, the traffic police spokesperson, was unable to provide immediate data on road crashes along the Njeru-Mabira highway. However, excerpts from the Mabira Forest road crash report indicate that more than 50 people have lost their lives on the highway in the past seven years.

Additionally, many fatalities remain unreported, particularly in cases where accident settlements are made outside the police or court systems. Some incidents involve hit-and-run accidents, including those with pedestrians, boda boda cyclists, and passengers killed by speeding vehicles.

Ms Hellen Butoto, the Ssezibwa Region Police spokesperson, confirmed the rampant accidents on the highway. She said many have either died or lost property during the road crashes.

“I need time to get the records to come up with the exact number of accidents and the people who have died since the beginning of this year [2024]. The accidents are common in Mabira because of some bad sections of the road that have developed deep potholes, and the Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra) is aware of this,” Ms Butoto said.

She urged motorists to drive at lower speeds, avoid tailgating, and consider using the Njeru-Katosi or Njeru-Kayunga highways.

Motorists manoeuvre through some of the deep potholes on Jinja-Kampala highway in Mabira Forest on January 5, 2025.  PHOTO/DENNIS EDEMA

Motorists have their say
Mr David Masete, a taxi driver on the Kapchorwa-Mbale-Kampala highway, says despite the potholes, car damage, and costly repairs, drivers continue to use this route because it offers more passengers and frequent pick-ups and drop-offs at Lugazi and Mukono.

“So we are forced to endure and drive through the accident-prone road. Let the concerned authority consider working on the road to reduce the accidents,” he appeals.

Masete says they incur heavy losses in vehicle repairs, and the situation gets worse during the rainy season.

Multiple motorists interviewed for this story at the weekend said they have either lost acquaintances, family members, or workmates on the Mabira thoroughfare. Currently, sections of the road have developed deep and wide potholes, prompting motorists to ask the government to work on sunken sections and expand the narrow sections of the highway between Mbiko and Nakibizzi centers.

Notorious black spots on the Jinja-Kampala highway to watch out for are at Mbiko, Nakibizzi, Lugalambo tea plantation, and Sanga, where three pilgrims were knocked dead as they walked to Namugongo on Martyrs Day in 2019. Other deadly spots are at Buwola, with the most dangerous singled out by the police and motorists as Kinoni, which lies immediately after Mabira Police Station, Lwakima, and the popular stopover spot of Najjembe.

Mr John Makawu, a Kenyan truck driver who frequently plies the route, says he has lost three colleagues, while others have sustained serious injuries and deformities, causing them to lose their jobs.

“This is an international road, and Uganda holds a ‘big name’ in the region. Let the government work on this road to attract more developments,” Mr Makawu says.

Mr Jacob Makanga, a fuel truck driver from Mombasa, experienced a mechanical failure at Sanga in Mabira after his truck struck a water-filled pothole. He notes that foreign drivers and other road users from the East African region face challenges between Njeru and Lugazi due to unfamiliarity with the hazardous terrain.

“Some sections of the road are very narrow for big trucks carrying wide factory equipment for installation. It causes traffic jams,” Ms Makanga says.

He adds that they also suffer reprimands as some companies they work for have installed tracking devices to monitor their goods and the time expected for delivery.

Godfrey Sanya, who was traveling to Kampala on Sunday, suffered a flat tire after hitting a deep pothole near Mabira Police Station.

“The pothole cost me over Shs200,000 because other systems of the vehicle got damaged,” he says.

Sanya accuses the traffic officers in Mabira of erecting “unnecessary roadblocks” on the highway, which he claims create traffic gridlocks.

UNRA reacts
Mr Allan Ssempebwa, the spokesperson for the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), acknowledges the deteriorated state of the Mabira Forest Highway. He reports that a contractor has been secured to address the issues.

“We understand the current financial constraints in the department, but hope to see them on-site this week because lives are at risk,” he says.

“Major projects for the Mabira road are underway, and once money is approved and allocated, works will start,” he said.

More motorists speak out
Yacobu Othieno, a 54-year-old trailer driver, advocates for a complete reconstruction of the highway to reduce road crashes that have claimed many lives. He notes that while alternative routes like Njeru-Katosi-Mukono are available, they are longer and consume more fuel compared to the shorter Mabira highway, which serves as a shortcut to Mukono and Kampala.

Fadhili Musa, a truck driver from Tanzania, urges the Ugandan government to not only fix the potholes in Mabira Forest but to address the entire road from Mbiko to Lugazi. He points out that new motorists are the main victims of crashes on the highway.

Ali Kijjoba, a resident of Mbiko, suggests the construction of a flyover at Mbiko trading center, similar to the one at Bugembe, to reduce accidents. He reports that Mbiko records two to three accidents weekly.

Alex Okumu recommends that UNRA begins by erecting road signs to alert motorists of hazardous areas, allowing them to reduce speed and avoid accidents.

Ms Butoto agrees with the need for road signs and emphasizes the importance of demarcating the road so that motorists know where and when to overtake. She also suggests that overhanging tree branches obstructing drivers’ visibility should be cut or trimmed to allow a clear view of at least 200 meters ahead. She attributes the frequent accidents on the Mabira road to overtaking, which she notes is more common among truck drivers than among taxi and bus drivers.

Alex Okumu recommends that UNRA begins by erecting road signs to alert motorists of hazardous areas, allowing them to reduce speed and avoid accidents.

Ms Butoto agrees with the need for road signs and emphasizes the importance of demarcating the road so that motorists know where and when to overtake.

She also suggests that overhanging tree branches obstructing drivers’ visibility should be cut or trimmed to allow a clear view of at least 200 meters ahead. She attributes the frequent accidents on the Mabira road to overtaking, which she notes is more common among truck drivers than among taxi and bus drivers.

Extract from Mabira Forest road crash report

10/02/2018: One person died.
24/07/2018: Three people died.
02/02/2019: Four people died.
22/06/2019: Two people died.
11/11/2020: One person died, 12 seriously injured.
30/03/2021: One person died.
22/10/2021: Two people died.
02/01/2022: Three people died.

February 2023: No fatalities, three serious, four minor injuries, and 13 vehicles involved in accidents.

December 2023: At least 20 vehicles were involved in road crashes in Mabira, with one person killed.

February 2024: At least five people killed, 14 vehicles involved in accidents.

March 2024: At least three people killed in 18 different accidents.

Friday, April 19, 2024: A fatal accident at Sanga-Mabira claimed UPDF Maj. Habib Nsamba Katakabire. The cause of the accident, police said, was attributed to careless overtaking.

Thursday, May 18, 2023: Billy Mulondo died following a fatal collision in the Mabira forest, Jinja-Kampala highway.

Thursday, August 25, 2022: An accident on Mabira road, involving four vehicles, claimed three lives and left four people nursing serious injuries.

Friday, October 22, 2021: A trailer carrying cement collided with a Fuso truck carrying bricks. Two people died and one was injured.

Saturday, July 18, 2020: Charles Mutyabule died after the motorcycle he was riding collided with a double-cabin pickup truck.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019: A taxi accident at Mabira forest claimed the life of Nuur Kasozi and left 12 others injured. The accident happened following a tire burst that forced the taxi to overturn.

Tuesday, September 18, 2018: John Kyaguma died following a collision of his Fuso vehicle with two other vehicles. The incident was attributed to careless driving.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017: An accident after Bulyantente trading center, near Mabira forest, claimed the lives of all the 16 occupants of a taxi. Police blamed heavy rains for the occurrence of the accidents.

Sunday, October 16, 2016: Two commuter taxis and a fuel truck were involved in a fatal accident on the Mabira forest road.

Monday, January 5, 2015: Two occupants of a Toyota Premio died in an accident on Mabira forest after a bus rammed into their vehicle. One of the deceased was identified as Mawanda, a UPDF soldier who had just returned from Somalia on a peacekeeping mission.