3,000 die in Kampala accidents in 2 years 

With a population of approximately 4.5 million people, road safety remains a significant concern in Kampala, Uganda’s busiest capital city.

Kampala is divided into five administrative divisions: Central, Nakawa, Makindye, Kawempe and Lubaga, where the majority of residents rely on walking, boda bodas (motorcycle taxis), and taxis for transportation within the city.

During the recent release of the Kampala annual road safety report for 2022 at City hall, Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago emphasized that the city’s dynamic and bustling nature, characterized by a mix of various activities, has left its residents vulnerable to a wide range of accidents.

He specifically pointed to the city’s inadequate infrastructure as a significant contributor to road accidents, highlighting the urgent need to address these underlying challenges to enhance both motorized and pedestrian safety in Kampala.

“Our roads are not just thoroughfares; they are the arteries that connect us, and they should always be safe to use,” Lukwago said.

The third edition of the 2022 road safety report was prepared by KCCA in partnership with the Uganda Police, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Vital Strategies. This report provides insights into road traffic accidents, fatalities, and injuries that occurred in Kampala in 2022, drawing upon data collected from police records spanning the city’s five divisions.

FINDINGS

The report’s findings revealed that over the past two years, a total of 2,959 individuals lost their lives in various accidents within Kampala. Notably, the majority of these fatalities occurred among vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists, who accounted for 94% of the deaths in 2022. Specifically, motorcyclists constituted a significant portion, comprising nearly half (49%) of the total fatalities last year.

“The number of reported fatalities in Kampala increased by 1% from 419 in 2021 to 425 in 2022. The number of serious injuries decreased by 4% from 2,318 in 2021 to 2,234 in 2022. Similarly, the death rate decreased from 12 per 100,000 population in 2021 to 11.6 in 2022. The serious injury rate also decreased from 66 per 100,000 population in 2021 to 61 in 2022,” reads the report.

While pedestrian deaths increased from 162 in 2021 to 185 in 2022, motorcyclist fatalities saw a marginal 1% decrease in 2022 compared to the previous year. Nonetheless, motorcyclists still accounted for the highest proportion (60%) of seriously injured victims.

Researchers have emphasized that these findings underscore the critical need to prioritize safety measures for both motorcyclists and pedestrians in Kampala.

According to the report, males constituted 76% of traffic crash-related deaths and 72% of serious injuries in Kampala in 2022. This gender pattern has remained consistent in Kampala for the past three years. In terms of age groups, a higher number of fatalities occurred among individuals aged 30 to 39 years, while serious injuries were more frequently reported among those aged 20 to 29 years.

Data analysis involved extracting data from hospital charts and manually linking it with police fatal crash records. Fatal crashes that occurred outside of Kampala or in unknown crash locations were excluded from the linkage process.

There were 2,517 road traffic deaths recorded in hospital records from 2020 to 2021. Among these, 26% (662) occurred in Kampala, 50% (1,266) outside the city’s boundaries, and 23% (589) in undocumented locations. The linkage and capture-recapture analysis included only deaths from crashes documented to have occurred in Kampala.

For example, out of the 662 deaths in hospital records from crashes in Kampala, 146 were linked to police records, resulting in a 22% matching rate. The capture-recapture analysis yielded a conservative estimate of 2,959 road traffic deaths in Kampala from 2020 to 2021, equating to a death rate of 85 per 100,000 population.

The number of road fatalities in Kampala was estimated using the capture-recapture approach. Researchers noted that capture- recapture is a method used to develop an overall estimate based on cases captured in more than one discrete sample or data sources. This technique has been applied to various epidemiological studies, including road traffic morbidity and mortality.

TIME OF DEATHS

A higher number of crashes were recorded between 6pm and 8pm. However, fatal crashes peaked between 8pm and 10pm, highlighting crucial timeframes for the police to consider when deploying traffic enforcement in the city.

The researchers did not identify a specific pattern for crashes by the day of the week in 2022. However, deaths were most frequently associated with crashes that occurred on Mondays and Saturdays. From 2019 to 2022, road crash fatalities were consistently reported on Mondays, Saturdays and Sundays from 4pm to midnight.

These findings underscore the necessity for heightened enforcement of road safety measures, including addressing factors such as speeding, drunk driving, and the non-use of helmets, seat belts, and child restraints during these days and times.

The report also identified high-risk areas for fatal crashes concentrated along major roads in the city, particularly along the Northern Bypass. These locations include Kalerwe and Sentema roundabouts, the Mbogo- Najjeera junction, the Nakulabye intersection along Hoima road, the Bwaise flyover, the Access road and Jinja road junction, the Salama road and Entebbe junction, the Kisaasi- Kyanja junction, and the Nsooba- Kyebando flyover.

Furthermore, the top ten corridors with a high frequency of fatal crashes were identified as follows: the Gayaza roundabout (from Kalerwe to Kyebando police post), Kisaasi – Naalya roundabout, Entebbe road, Ggaba road, Busega–Namungoona roundabout, Jinja road, Kibuye- Nateete road, Masaka road, Hoima road, and Bombo road.

KEY RISK FACTORS

The report also presented findings regarding road injury behavioral risk factors for road crashes, which were conducted by Makerere University’s School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIRU). In May 2023, the overall prevalence of speeding above the limit in Kampala was 6%.

Notably, SUVs, primarily driven by government officials, had the highest incidence of speeding over the posted limit at 12%. They were followed by sedans/ saloons at 10%, minibuses/vans at 11%, buses at 10%, pickups/light trucks at 4%, motorcycles at 3%, and large trucks with a 1% violation rate. It’s important to note that the UN-recommended speed limit along corridors with heavy pedestrian and vehicular interaction is 30kph.

The report also revealed that last year, 40% of pedestrian deaths were predominantly caused by cars and pickups. Overall, 38% of motorcyclists were observed correctly wearing helmets by May. Riders were more likely to wear helmets correctly compared to passengers, with rates of 55% and 3%, respectively.

This increase in the proper use of helmets among drivers was attributed to enhanced police enforcement of helmet and reflector jacket usage, which commenced in October 2022. Lawrence Niwabiine, the acting director of Traffic and Road Safety in the police, explained that the enforcement of helmet usage among riders aimed to reduce the severity of head injuries in the event of collisions.

“While we have made significant strides in improving road safety, we recognize that the work is far from complete. Our commitment remains improving the road safety situation in the city. This report not only serves as a reflection of past efforts but also the importance of collaboration, innovation and shared responsibility among road safety stakeholders,” Niwabiine said.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Lukwago emphasized that road users should bear in mind that the city’s road safety is not solely the responsibility of the city administration or its politicians but, rather, a collective effort involving every member of the community.

“Whether you are a pedestrian, a driver, a cyclist, or a passenger, your actions directly impact road safety. We are all stakeholders in this endeavor,” Lukwago emphasized, acknowledging that the absence of a law to regulate public transport poses a road safety challenge.

However, KCCA is planning to establish a public transport management ordinance following the phasing out of the National Road Safety Council. Lukwago believes that having a lead agency dedicated to road safety would improve coordination and collective action in the city.

The report also revealed inconsistencies in reporting road traffic deaths in Kampala, primarily due to the capture-recapture analysis. For example, fatalities in Kampala are estimated to be 4.5 times higher than the previous nationwide police reports of 2.1 times. Conversely, the global status report on road safety indicated that road traffic fatalities in Uganda were 3.4 times higher than the records of the police traffic department in 2016.

“These findings underscore the importance of integrating data from various sources to generate more accurate estimates of the road traffic death burden. This, in turn, provides a crucial foundation for informed decision-making in healthcare, transportation, and law enforcement,” the report stated.

The report emphasized the significance of high-quality data originating from both the police and healthcare facilities. The researchers suggested that this could be achieved by enhancing capacity to improve data quality and completeness in both the police and health sectors.

To enhance data collection systems further, researchers recommended that police and hospital staff consider incorporating a unique identifier, such as the national identification number, whenever it is available for victims or patients.

They believe that this practice could improve data linkage and integration in future road safety reports. It should be noted that some police traffic records on crashes were not reviewed due to the method of storing paper forms, and some records lacked the necessary details for extraction.

In conclusion, the report emphasized that efforts to improve road safety through infrastructure enhancements, enforcement, education, and other essential interventions should prioritize the most vulnerable individuals susceptible to fatalities or injuries in road crashes.

HIGH-RISK FATAL CRASH CORRIDORS, 2019 – 2022

nangonzi@observer.ug