Don’t ride, drive through flooded Kampala roads

Wednesday was generally a rainy day in Uganda’s capital, Kampala. And as is the tradition, downpours are usually followed by floods in and around the city.

Social media was awash with images of the aftermath of the rains. This newspaper dedicated a spread the following day to show the menace that the floods had caused.

Many people were left counting loses; from livestock and birds that had drowned, merchandise that was destroyed as a result of water getting into people’s shops, to cars and motorcycles whose engines where damaged as they tried to cross through flooded areas. 

In most of the images shared, people could be seen wading through the floods. They included cyclists and motorists caught up in the middle of the sometimes running water.

This is a very risky practice, given the past experiences we have had in Kampala.

A video that recently went viral was of a group of men rescuing boda boda riders who were being swept away by running water. The brave men were strategically positioned to catch riders who would get overpowered by running water. Many of the riders eventually turned to saving their lives after abandoning their motorcycles.

Although many of the images we saw this week was of cars that stalled in the middle of the floods, videos have previously emerged of cars that were submerged under water, some of them after being swept away by running water. 

Many will recall CCTV footage that captured a woman slipping into a drainage channel in Kampala and being swept away in 2020. She was 56-year-old Cissy Namukasa who met her death while moving on the streets of Kampala during a downpour.

All these examples point towards one thing; the floods in Kampala destroy property and claim lives. We appeal to individuals to exercise extreme caution when moving in flooded areas.

Kampala is currently a big construction site, with many open manholes and trenches. All these are recipes for disaster.

While at it, we appeal to the authorities to ensure that the drainage systems being constructed in the city solve the floods that have bedeviled Kampala for years.

We also appeal to city dwellers to be responsible when disposing of their waste. One of the major causes of flooding in Kampala is clogging of the drainage systems by plastic bottles and polythene bags.

Properly constructed drainage systems and proper disposal of plastics and polythene is going to save our lives and property. In the meantime, stay away from flooded areas, for you might not know what is underneath the waters.