Crossing Hoima Road: The daily gamble facing Nansana pedestrians

What the report says

Residents in Nansana, Uganda, say crossing Hoima Road has become a daily safety risk as the corridor has grown into a busy urban street. According to The Independent Uganda’s report based on URN material, people walking to shops, churches and taxi stages often wait long periods for traffic to ease, while pedestrians, including children, face frequent danger from vehicles and boda boda riders.

The article describes a road that still functions like a highway even though it now serves a densely built-up municipality. Long stretches reportedly lack clear zebra crossings, and some faded markings are hard to see. Residents said the few designated crossing points are often ignored by motorists, and that many pedestrian crashes may go unrecorded when victims are taken directly to clinics rather than police.

The concerns are not new. The report says Nansana municipal leaders petitioned the then-Uganda National Roads Authority in 2019 to adapt the road to local conditions, including better walkways, lighting and crossing points, and offered to contribute funding. Residents and local leaders quoted in the story are now calling for more zebra crossings, pedestrian bridges and signal-controlled junctions at busy points.

The Ministry of Works and Transport, through a communications officer, said road safety remains a priority and that Hoima Road had included signs and speed humps during construction. The ministry also acknowledged that rapid development in Nansana may have outpaced the road’s original design. The issue matters because it highlights a wider challenge in Uganda and other growing towns: upgrading transport infrastructure to protect pedestrians as urban areas expand.