UPC wants standard guage railway to reduce traffic, road crashes 

Between February 25 and March 3, 2024, 77 people died and 399 were injured in road crashes in Uganda.

According to the Uganda Police Force’s report for the same period, 25 (34%) of those killed were motorcyclists, 22 (30%) were pedestrians, and 7 (9%) were motorcycle passengers.

The crashes were attributed to careless overtaking and speeding.

There were 24,728 road crash victims in 2023, up from 21,473 in 2022, representing a 15% increase, according to police data.

According to data presented in 2023 by Acting Director of Traffic Police Niwabiina Lawrence, 4,806 people died as a result of road crashes.

He noted that 13 deaths were recorded each day. In the previous year, 4,534 people died.

The UPC party is concerned about the above-mentioned and current road crash figures.

On Wednesday, UPC spokesperson Arach Oyat Sharon urged the government to expedite the standard gauge railway in order to reduce road traffic and deaths.

“The Uganda Peoples Congress is concerned about the Traffic Police Report, which revealed that over 80 people died in road accidents in just one week from July 7th to 13th, 2024,” she stated.

The party sent heartfelt condolences to families who lost loved ones in such tragic crashes, as well as messages of speedy recovery to those hospitalised with nursing wounds in various hospitals.

UPC stated that it would like to draw the government’s attention to the major issue of excessive traffic of heavy trucks carrying goods on “our narrow weak roads,” causing them to deteriorate and create potholes, which is a recipe for disaster.

Arach stated that the country requires a reliable transportation system in order to address this issue. “UPC reiterates that the government needs to expedite the process of the Standard Gauge Railway and the Meter Gauge as major alternatives and cheaper means of transportation of goods and easy movement of people for both internal and external communication links to member States of the East African Community.”

“Equally, the roads should be in good shape and meet the required standards in the region of East Africa as opposed to lagging behind in the region. Other modes of transport like water and air should be explored especially domestic flights by Uganda Airlines.”

Arach stated that, in addition to road carnage, there is another wave of criminality that uses boda-boda and impersonation as security operatives to commit crimes.