Balimwezo said the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) is ready to work closely with health professionals to address the rising toll of crashes, particularly among boda boda riders, who continue to represent one of the most affected road user groups.
He made the remarks during a road safety engagement, where he also reflected on his own experience of surviving a serious road accident.
“We are ready to partner with you to curb trauma and deaths because a sick person affects the economy, and we want our people to be safe. This is the kind of Kampala we want,” he said, framing road safety as both a public health and economic concern.
His comments come amid growing concern from health professionals that Uganda’s hospitals are increasingly overwhelmed by crash-related injuries.
Surgeons say operating theatres are handling a rising number of trauma cases, many linked to road traffic accidents involving boda bodas, pedestrians, and other vulnerable road users.
ASOU President Dr. Edward Kakungulu said the burden of road crashes is now clearly visible within surgical units across the country, where medical teams routinely deal with severe head injuries, complex fractures, permanent disabilities, and fatalities arising from preventable incidents.
“By aligning surgical expertise with city administration, we are moving beyond the operating theatres to proactively engineer safer streets. Surgeons see the cost of poor road discipline long before an autopsy or a cast is ever made,” he said.
The surgeons’ body warned that road traffic injuries have become one of Uganda’s most pressing public health challenges, with emergency wards under constant pressure from accident victims.
ASOU also presented proposals aimed at strengthening prevention strategies, improving road discipline, and protecting vulnerable road users before injuries occur.
Dr. Kakungulu emphasized that addressing the crisis requires coordinated action between government agencies, law enforcement, health professionals, and the public, noting that no single sector can resolve the problem alone.
Health experts echoed this view, pointing to weak enforcement of traffic regulations, road infrastructure gaps, and limited public awareness as key drivers of the rising crash burden.
The emerging partnership between KCCA and ASOU is expected to strengthen advocacy on road safety and support preventive interventions aimed at reducing trauma cases in Kampala’s hospitals.
Stakeholders say the collaboration reflects a shift toward treating road safety not only as a transport issue, but as a growing urban health emergency with wide economic and social consequences.