Uganda Breweries trains riders on road safety, gives them safety gear

Kampala, Uganda | Patricia Akankwatsa | In a bid to promote road safety on roads and reduce injuries and deaths as a result of motorcycle accidents, Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) donated safety gear to 200 boda boda operators.

The donation was part of the planned engagements as UBL marked Safety Awareness Week to promote the culture of safety among employees. The Boda Boda cyclists received helmets and reflector jackets to ensure safety during their day-to-day work.

According to the Uganda Police 2021 Annual Crime Report, the fatalities among motorcyclists and their passengers were 1,918, reflecting 46% of all road accident fatalities. The total number of road fatalities countrywide was 4,159, a 14% increase from 3,663 cases in 2020.

According to the United Nations Road Safety Performance Review, conducted by United Nations Economic Commissions for Europe (UNECE) and Africa (ECA), the overall annual cost of road crashes is currently estimated at approximately UGX 4.4 trillion ($1.2 billion), representing 5% of Uganda’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Speaking at the Road Safety awareness event, UBL Managing Director Andrew Kilonzo said the road safety awareness event is in line with the UBL ‘Society 2030’ sustainability strategy that charts UBL’s path to contribute to sustainable development.

“We consider health and safety as a fundamental human right. UBL often finds ways to make an impact in society through sharing our best practices, awareness creation, and safety gear donations,” said Kilonzo.

Kilonzo added: “I am glad that participants have also taken part in our ‘Wrong Side of The Road’ training that seeks to advocate against drinking and driving by educating drivers on the potential risks. This, we think will greatly improve safety on our roads.”

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Deputy Executive Director Eng. David Luyimbazi said that in Kampala, at least one fatal crash occurs on the city’s road network daily.

In a move to reduce the number of road crashes from Kampala, he said KCCA with support from Government and International partners has in place a Road Safety Strategy for 2021-2030 to reduce the number of road crashes in the city by 50% by the year 2030.

“With reduced road crashes, we shall be able to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 11 that respectively seek to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road accidents by 2030 and provide access to safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable transport systems for all, “said Luyimbazi.

Kilonzo applauded KCCA for spearheading the development of policies, laws, and regulations, that promote road safety in Kampala. He asked Boda Boda cyclists to ensure proper that the donated safety gear to proper use.

Eng David Luyimbazi – Deputy Executive Director – of Kampala Capital City Authority also revealed that in December or January 2022, if they have reached the target of about 15,000 Boda bodas with driving permits, “we shall close down the city.”

KCCA is currently evaluating the Boda Boda riders who took part in the just-concluded census in order to be allowed to operate in the capital city.

Accordingly, those registered would be trained, given a security code, and jackets and would operate from gazetted stages.