LORD MAYOR, DR HENNING DISCUSS WAYS TO REDUCE ROAD CARNAGE IN KAMPALA

The Lord Mayor of Kampala, Hajji Erias Lukwago has hosted Dr. Kelly Henning, the Director of Public Health Programs at Bloomberg Philanthropies, to discuss ways to reduce road carnage in the city by 2030.

The meeting held at the Mayor’s Parlor on Friday focused on the partnership between the city and Bloomberg Philanthropies, which has been instrumental in supporting Kampala's efforts towards road safety.

"We are very appreciative of the support from Bloomberg," said Lord Mayor Lukwago. "The thematic areas are very key in achieving our goal of reducing road carnage by 50% in our city by 2030. We are doing well in data collection, and the safe systems approach is our main focus in our strategic plan. Our main concern is lack of public transport system, which is still a grey area."

Kampala, a city of close to four million people, has been facing challenges in transforming its infrastructure to support road safety.

The Lord Mayor emphasized the need to make safe systems approach part of people's lives, and to raise awareness and enforcement to reduce road carnage. He also stressed the importance of a good relationship with traffic police to gather data and improve road safety.

Dr. Henning praised Kampala's efforts and pledged Bloomberg Philanthropies' support towards reducing road carnage in the city. "Thank you for the work you are doing and taking lead in addressing road safety," she said. "We really appreciate the partnership to work together."

She also highlighted the role that development partners can play in promoting road safety and the need for a framework that national governments prioritize road safety. "You have a very solid foundation, and we are committed to supporting you in this important work," she added.

Launched in 2020, KCCA and the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) the six-year partnership to prevent traffic crashes and deaths in Kampala.

It focuses on five key areas to improve road safety and save lives: strengthening national legislation, enhancing data collection and surveillance, changing road user behavior, improving road infrastructure and upgrading vehicle safety.

The initiative has special focus on speeding – one of the leading causes of traffic crashes around the world.  Road traffic injuries are the 8th leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause of death for people aged 5-29.

The meeting concluded with a commitment to continue working together towards reducing road carnage in Kampala. With the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies and other partners, the city is poised to make significant progress towards achieving its goal of safer roads for all.