By Chris Mugasha
KAMPALA: As the busiest month-December sets in, the Ministry of works and Transport has cautioned Ugandans to be mindful of issues of road safety.
According to the Ministry, December is a period of high mobility and travel demand across all corners of the Country due to Christmas festive season noting that with the political campaigns also in the same period, the travelers must take extra caution.
As a result, the ministry has come out to caution politicians at all levels and their supporters on road safety in the on-going political campaigns.
The ministry has also warned politicians to make sure that the vehicles they deploy in the field to facilitate the movement of their mobilisers and supporters must be in a road worthy condition on top of being driven responsibly.
This is contained in a Press statement that was issued on Thursday by the Minister for works and Transport Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala in Kampala.
The Minister’s warning comes at a time when a number of politicians have resorted to ferrying their supporters on Lorries, pickups, tuku-tukus, boda-bodas to attend rallies as they campaign.
According to the Minister, the supporters of the candidates at all levels must exercise caution during these campaigns.
“Ensure that you have all the legal requirements before driving to avoid inconveniences from the police,” the Minister warned in the statement. .
“The downside during this period (December) is that it is associated with increased levels of exposure to road crashes. It is therefore our duty as the responsible Ministry for road Safety to remind the general public of these risks during this period of merrymaking and connecting with our loved ones,” Wamala appealed.
He explained that the Ministry is running a Road Safety Campaign on Vehicle Safety, under the theme “Safe Vehicles for a Safer Uganda.“
The Minister called upon all stakeholders especially Vehicle Dealers, Suppliers of Genuine Spare parts including tyres, Local Vehicle Manufacturers, re-trofitters of Vehicle Safety gear, dealers in Fuels and Lubricants, Vehicle Repair and Servicing providers, the Standards Agency (UNBS), The Enforcement Agency (Uganda Police Force), fleet owners and managers, The Media, Vehicle users, all Road Safety Stakeholders.among others to join the Ministry in the Campaign.
“Fellow Ugandans, the theme “Safe Vehicles for a Safer Uganda” is aligned to the Ministry’s efforts in ensuring a safe vehicle fleet on our roads through the implementation of Mandatory Motor Vehicle Inspection Services,” the minister stated.
He said the Ministry is currently conducting stakeholder engagements, demonstrations and dissemination exercises on Mandatory Motor Vehicle Inspections ahead of the planned phased implementation of the service.
“While our focus is on Vehicle Safety, let us not forget to address road indiscipline and the key behavioral risky factors that include speeding, drink driving, inconsiderate driving manouvres, non-use of Motorcycle helmets, non-use of seatbelts and child restraints, and distracted driving,” he appealed..
Warning operators and drivers of public service vehicles to desist from bad driving practices, the Minister advised the passengers who are using Public Transport like buses, taxis and boda-bodas, to always to speak up/out for their safety in case of bad driving.
Wamala disclosed that Uganda is losing 14lives on average everyday due to road crashes and that these numbers sometimes increase around the festive season. “This is unacceptable!” Wamala stated.
He said government is fully committed to reversing this trend and achieving the road safety target of reducing road crash fatalities and serious injuries by 50% by 2030.
The Minister assured Ugandans that in the coming days, the Country will be informed about some of the interventions that Government plans to undertake next financial Year and in the medium term all aimed at improving the road safety situation in the Country.
According to the minister, the Ministry plans to carry out various activities including awareness campaigns, media campaigns and talk-shows, stakeholder engagements, support targeted enforcement exercises by police and paint pedestrian crossings. Wamala appreciated all the road safety stakeholders, who have always partnered to ensure that that there is road safety. End.
