Uganda Loses Over Shs7 Trillion Annually to Road Crashes, Safety Advocates Warn

What the report says

Nile Post reported that road safety advocates are urging major reforms in Uganda’s transport sector, saying road crashes are killing thousands of people and costing the country more than Shs7 trillion each year. The call follows the recent Kapchorwa school bus crash, which the report says killed 20 pupils and one adult, and which advocates described as a moment for government to tighten road safety management.

Timothy Chemonges, Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Analysis and a board member of the Road Safety Coalition Uganda, cited World Health Organization estimates that road traffic crashes cost Uganda nearly 5% of GDP annually. He said the losses include treatment, emergency response and lost productivity, and added that more than Shs300 billion is spent each year on care for crash victims. Chemonges linked many incidents to speeding, fatigue, distracted driving and poor vehicle maintenance, calling for stronger law enforcement and public awareness.

Tumwine Nkutuho, chairperson of the Road Safety Advocacy Coalition Uganda, told Nile Post that crashes kill about 15 people daily, or nearly 6,000 people a year, while warning the real number may be higher because some deaths are not captured in official records. He urged authorities to treat road crashes as a public health emergency and improve implementation of existing safety measures.

The Foundation for Private Sector Drivers Initiative Uganda also raised concerns about driver vetting after the Kapchorwa crash. Its Executive Director, Jamiru Semakula, alleged the bus driver had been hired temporarily, though Nile Post said it could not verify the claim and authorities had not commented. Advocates urged schools, passengers and parents to help report unsafe driving.