Traffic jam on Jinja Road in Kampala. An individual in Uganda loses at least 52 working days every year due to traffic congestion. PHOTO | ABUBAKER LUBOWA
Every weekday morning at 6:30am, Kampala’s arteries; Jinja Road, Entebbe Road, the Northern Bypass, burst into life. Cars, taxis, boda bodas, and trucks jostle for space, creating a choreography of chaos.
While the physical fatigue is obvious, the deeper toll is psychological;frustration, anxiety and emotional burnout. A World Bank-backed study shows that the average driver in Kampala loses 2.5 hours daily to congestion, which is equivalent to 52 lost workdays per year.
Kampala ranks as the second-most congested city in Africa, after Cairo, with average speeds crawling at just 11 km/h. From taxi to trauma Denis Kizza, a taxi driver on the Bwaise–Kampala route for more than a decade, likens mornings to “entering a battlefield.” Dodging potholes and navigating aggressive riders is one thing, managing insult-fueled confrontation is another.
He recalls a tense standoff near Watoto Church; a minor scrape with a private car escalated into an explosive encounter, leaving him shaken and numb. Peter Mubiru, a boda boda rider, describes a breaking point after being slapped by a car driver in traffic. He explains that when you are tired, hungry, and sweating, even a small incident can spark an emotional explosion.
He rides from 6am to 9pm daily under constant stress, hyper-awareness, and with no personal space to decompress. Jackson Ojera, a long-haul trucker on the Kisumu–Kampala route, battles a different but equally toxic workload; loneliness and sleep deprivation. He recounts moments of highway hypnosis, anxiety, and tunnel vision, symptoms psychiatrists link to depression and even hallucinations.
Women at the wheel
While still a minority, female riders and drivers are emerging as powerful voices within the transport sector. Naume Awero, a 25-year-old believed to be Kampala’s only documented female boda boda rider, faces not just traffic but deep-seated bias.
Oblivious to the emotional and physical toll she experiences, Awero encourages other women to take up the trade, even as they hesitate. On Nkurumah Road, a group of 85 women operate electric-powered bikes under the support of Spiro. One of them, Amina Nanteza, observes that male riders and taxi drivers often give way once they realise it is a woman on the bike.
These women navigate a unique set of stressors, from negotiating fair fares to managing customer trust and avoiding harassment. Still, their growing presence is reshaping not just gender norms but the broader emotional ecosystem of the city’s roads. Support from organisations such as Women Rising for Africa and SafeBoda has helped train women in safe riding practices, personal finance, and self-defence. These efforts are slowly breaking down barriers and offering tools for mental resilience in a demanding and often hostile environment.
Psychological weight
Psychologist Juliet Nantongo notes that the constant unpredictability, risk of accidents, and interpersonal tension gradually chip away at emotional resilience. Among her clients are drivers exhibiting symptoms of chronic stress; poor sleep, irritability, and in some cases, panic attacks.
Winston Mulindwa, another psychiatrist notes that riders who survive frequent accidents often show signs consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder. They describe nightmares, flinching, and intense anxiety, especially when back on the road. Unfortunately, the psychological scars are usually left untreated. Most public health facilities prioritise physical injuries and often dismiss emotional trauma.
Support systems
Despite limited formal help, informal support systems are emerging. In Wandegeya, Kampala, a group of boda boda riders meets every Sunday in a savings-and-support circle where they talk, share stories and pray. For many, these gatherings serve as a mental reset. Kizza has developed his own coping strategy; he listens to gospel music during stressful moments and avoids engaging in verbal spats. He believes not every battle on the road is worth fighting.
Others, however, have turned to more dangerous outlets. A 2021 Makerere study found that one in 10 boda boda riders in Kampala used cannabis or cocaine to cope with stress. This finding prompted warnings from the Ministry of Gender against substance dependency as a coping mechanism.
Systemic solutions
Efforts to manage traffic and its emotional fallout are underway. The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has launched an Urban Transport Master Plan that includes dedicated non-motorised transport corridors.
With support from the World Bank, these initiatives include wider walkways, safer cycle paths, improved junctions, and even pedestrian-only zones in high-traffic areas. Urban planner Amanda Ngabirano argues that infrastructure alone is not enough. She advocates for cities designed with emotional wellness in mind; spaces with greenery, noise buffers, and community engagement. This approach aligns with Sustainable Development Goals related to mental health and urban well-being.
Some progress has come through better-regulated public transport. SafeBoda, for instance, offers trained riders, dual helmets, background checks, and real-time tracking, helping reduce accidents and improve rider behaviour. The platform also fosters leadership among women in a male-dominated field, giving them opportunities to thrive while prioritising safety and professionalism. Mental health experts emphasise the need to embed wellness into daily transport systems.
Driver associations, transport companies, and public agencies could integrate regular mental health screenings, awareness programmes, and access to counselling. These measures, they argue, should become as routine as checking a tyre or renewing a license.
Enforcement
On the enforcement side, the city has introduced an Electronic Penalty System (EPS) that uses online tracking to manage traffic violations. Larger infrastructure projects such as flyovers and the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) initiative, including Tondeka Metro Bus, aim to decongest roads. But planners and psychologists agree that easing traffic should not be the only metric of success. The emotional well-being of those behind the wheel must be counted among key performance indicators.
