KAMPALA ROAD SAFETY REPORT REVEALS ALARMING INCREASE IN FATALITIES

The latest annual road safety report for Kampala, launched at the Mayor's Parlor on Wednesday, has revealed a 78% increase in road crash fatalities in the city from 2020.

This is the city’s second such report and shows the number of reported fatalities in Kampala increased from 236 in 2020 to 419 in 2021, largely attributed to speeding, unsafe overtaking, violating traffic lights, sudden turning, and tailgating, among other factors.

The report presents findings on deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes in the city, using data from police records. The report, produced with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, highlighted the need for urgent action to address the situation.

Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago presided over the launch of the report and described the situation as "appalling and totally unacceptable"

“These report findings should inform continuous interventions to reduce road crash-related deaths and injuries in the city and guide the activities of road safety stakeholders to deliver on their mandates. The goal is to halve road traffic deaths and injuries in Kampala by 2030.” Lukwago said.

According to the World Health Organization, road traffic crashes kill nearly 1.3 million people and injure up to 50 million worldwide. More than 90% of these deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries, which have less than half of the world’s vehicles, and unfortunately, these deaths are preventable.

The Lord Mayor also highlighted the need to re-establish the National Road Safety Council as a lead agency in order to secure funding and develop effective strategies to tackle the issue.

The report identified excessive speed as a significant risk factor, with almost half of speeding vehicles in Kampala clocking speeds more than 5 km/h above the posted limit.

The report recommended the adoption of global standards of 30 km/h for local and collector roads, along with stricter enforcement of speed limits.

The report also highlighted low seat-belt usage in the city, with overall seat-belt use at only 41%. Adult passenger seat-belt use was at 19%, while rear-seat passengers' seat-belt use was at 2%, and child restraint use was almost non-existent at only 1%.

The report's authors called for increased public awareness campaigns and strict law enforcement to promote seat belt and child restraint use.

Bonny Balugaba from Makerere University School of Public Health underscores the need for increased public awareness campaigns and strict law enforcement to promote seat belt and child restraint use.

"The combination of outcomes data and road user observation data provides a comprehensive understanding of road safety in Kampala, providing an opportunity to implement effective interventions and monitor their impact." Balugaba said.

The report revealed that the highest number of deaths and serious injuries in 2021 occurred among those aged 20 to 29 years, with almost half of the reported deaths (49.9%) occurring on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays.

The report also identified the highest-risk intersections and fatal corridors in the city, including Kalerwe roundabout (Northern Bypass), Nakulabye intersection (Balintuma and Hoima Road), and Entebbe Road.

The Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, which supports road safety activities and coordinates with governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, emphasized the need for high-quality monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to continually assess progress in reducing road crashes and fatalities.​