Uganda Professional Drivers Call for Speed Cameras to Curb Rising Road Deaths

Uganda's professional drivers have called on the government to restore automated speed enforcement to help curb dangerous driving and reduce the country's rising road death toll. The Uganda Professional Drivers Network, Road Safety Coalition Uganda, and their partners made the appeal on Sunday, November 15, during the World Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims at Bwaise Transport Terminal in Kampala. They argued that effective traffic cameras could strengthen efforts to reduce deaths and serious injuries on the country's roads.

The call is significant coming from professional drivers, who earn their living behind the wheel and are among those directly affected by traffic penalties. According to police records, Uganda grapples with a road safety crisis that claims approximately 15 lives every day. In 2025, police recorded 5,383 road crash deaths, up from 5,144 the previous year, while another 18,444 people sustained injuries.

Many of these crashes are preventable, citing speeding, reckless overtaking, drink-driving, and distracted driving. SP Michael Kananura, spokesperson for the Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety, emphasized that road deaths should not be treated as an inevitable consequence of mobility. He stressed that getting from one destination to another should never come at the expense of someone's life.

The government plans to restore automated traffic enforcement, with the Ministry of Works and Transport announcing plans to reintroduce a revised Advanced Traffic Management System and reinstate the Express Penalty Scheme. Automated enforcement uses surveillance cameras and number plate recognition technology to detect offences such as speeding and running red lights.

The system aims to address enforcement gaps arising from Uganda's limited number of traffic officers, particularly along busy highways and urban roads. A Senior Licensing Officer at the ministry estimated that Uganda had no more than 2,000 traffic officers, arguing that cameras could provide more consistent enforcement and encourage motorists to obey traffic regulations.

Restoring automated enforcement will require rebuilding public confidence, as the Express Penalty Scheme was suspended in June 2025 following public outcry over steep fines and a 72-hour payment window. However, the drivers' renewed support for automated enforcement suggests that the controversy surrounding its implementation need not undermine its potential to save lives.

Road safety advocates are calling for effective speed cameras backed by transparent procedures and accountable enforcement. The professional drivers said the return of speed cameras is not simply about penalties but about making the roads on which they earn their livelihoods safer for themselves, their passengers, and other road users.

Key points

• The Uganda Professional Drivers Network and Road Safety Coalition Uganda are calling for a credible, transparent, and accountable enforcement system to reduce road deaths.
• The government plans to reintroduce a revised Advanced Traffic Management System and reinstate the Express Penalty Scheme to address enforcement gaps.
• Restoring automated enforcement will require rebuilding public confidence after the suspension of the Express Penalty Scheme in 2025.