A surge in fatal road crashes, including recent accidents involving school children, has prompted road safety advocates to call for sweeping reforms, including mandatory continuous training for commercial drivers, stricter speed management and increased government investment in road safety.
The appeal follows a series of deadly crashes across the country, among them the school bus tragedy that claimed the lives of more than 20 pupils, as well as fatal accidents in Amuru and Mukono districts. Speaking to journalists in Kampala, Road Safety Advocacy Coalition Uganda (ROSACU) Chairperson Fred Tumwine Nkuruho said Uganda’s rising road death toll shows that preventable safety gaps remain unaddressed.
“Road crashes are preventable. If such things continue to happen, then it means we are not doing the right thing. It is our responsibility to ensure road crashes are controlled,” Tumwine said. He cited official statistics showing that Uganda recorded 5,383 road crash deaths in 2025, up from 5,144 in 2024, 4,806 in 2023 and 4,534 in 2022. According to Tumwine, speeding and careless overtaking accounted for 44.5 percent of all crashes recorded in 2024, making them the leading causes of road fatalities.
He added that road crashes cost Uganda an estimated five percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually through lost productivity, medical expenses, disability and property damage, while public health facilities spend about Shs315.72 billion each year treating crash victims. To reverse the trend, ROSACU is proposing the professionalisation of passenger transport through mandatory Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for commercial drivers.
The coalition wants the Ministry of Works and Transport, Uganda Police, transport operators and driver associations to introduce compulsory post-licensing training covering defensive driving, speed management, fatigue management, first aid, vehicle inspection and passenger safety. It also recommends annual competency assessments and certification for commercial drivers, particularly those transporting school children, alongside stricter licensing requirements for school transport vehicles.
Tumwine further called for stronger speed management measures through stricter enforcement, public education campaigns and safer road engineering. He urged the government to finalise revised speed limit regulations, strengthen the capacity of traffic police and improve road infrastructure by installing more road signs, pedestrian crossings, street lighting and traffic-calming measures in high-risk areas. The coalition also appealed to transport operators to maintain roadworthy vehicles, provide drivers with adequate rest and avoid work schedules that encourage speeding.
Tumwine said road safety interventions cannot succeed without sustainable funding and urged Parliament to increase allocations for driver training, traffic law enforcement, public education, road safety audits, vehicle inspections, trauma care, ambulance services, crash data systems and rehabilitation services.
He also proposed establishing a multi-sectoral national road safety coordination mechanism under the Office of the Prime Minister to improve coordination among ministries responsible for transport, health, education, finance, local government and internal affairs. Timothy Chemonges, Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Analysis (CEPA), said Uganda loses an average of 15 people every day to road crashes, translating into nearly 5,300 deaths annually.
He warned that the country loses more than Shs7 trillion every year—equivalent to nearly five percent of GDP—through medical costs, disability, property damage and lost productivity. While acknowledging government efforts to improve road safety, Chemonges said the increasing number of crashes points to weaknesses in enforcement and called for greater investment in traffic policing and other enforcement agencies.
He identified speed management, the professionalisation of passenger transport services and increased funding for road safety as the most critical interventions needed to reduce fatalities. Ndugu Omongo, Executive Director of the Uganda Professional Drivers Network (UPDN), said holding a valid driving permit alone does not make someone a safe driver.
“A driving permit gives a person the legal authority to drive, but professionalism gives society the confidence to trust you,” Omongo said. He argued that human behaviour, rather than poor road infrastructure, remains the biggest contributor to road crashes. “Roads do not cause crashes. Vehicles do not make decisions. It is people who plan journeys, operate vehicles, manage fleets and respond to risks,” he said.
Omongo called for a national post-licensing professional development framework requiring commercial drivers to undergo regular competency-based training throughout their careers. He said the training should include defensive driving, speed management, fatigue management, passenger care, customer service, mental health awareness and professional ethics.
He also urged government and employers to improve drivers’ welfare through reasonable working hours, access to healthcare, continuous learning opportunities and better employment conditions. According to Omongo, recognising commercial driving as a skilled profession would improve competence, reduce crashes, strengthen businesses, protect families and contribute to Uganda’s economic growth-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
