The Minister of Works and Transport, Gen. Katumba Wamala has flagged off a team of walkers led by journalist Joseph Beyanga, popularly known as Joe Walker, for a 212 kilometre national road safety awareness walk to Hoima.
The Kampala-Hoima walk, is the 5th edition of Joe Walker national road safety awareness walk aims at raising awareness about the importance of road safety, advocate for responsible road usage, and curb the rising number of road crashes in Uganda.
Additionally, the walk aim to remind drivers and road users to adopt safe practices and avoid reckless behaviors that result in fatalities and life-altering disabilities.
While flagging off the road safety activists, Gen. Katumba Wamala cautioned Ugandans against recklessness and urged all road users to take personal responsibility.
“Joe Walker said he partners with the Minister of Works. I would say we partner with him because what he is doing is our responsibility to ensure that the messages of ‘Save Roads, Save Lives’ go out,” Gen. Katumba said.
He praised the initiative, describing it as impactful and timely.
“There is a song which says, ‘Munsi eno okozeemuki’ — meaning what have you done in this world? Joe Walker has done something very remarkable, sending the message across and alerting everybody that we must all use the roads safely,” he noted.
The Minister urged motorists to exercise caution at all times, especially on narrow roads and dangerous corners.
“You know the road is narrow. The road is talking to you. It says don’t overtake in this corner. But you overtake and then you get an accident and then you say the road is narrow,” he said.
Gen. Katumba also decried vandalism of road signs and the disregard for pedestrian crossings.
“Those signs are supposed to be talking to the road user to warn you of what is in the next few meters ahead. But Ugandans think those road signs are not necessary. They just take them off,” he said.
“And everybody must be responsible on the road — not only drivers, not only riders, but also pedestrians. Before you cross, look right, look left, look right again, and walk.”
He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to supporting the initiative, adding that even saving a single life is worth the effort.
“The small thing you do, even if you save one life, it’s an impact. It’s a life saved. You could be saving a doctor. You could be saving a general. Every life matters,” he said, wishing the team a safe journey to Hoima.
Speaking at the flag-off, Joseph Beyanga, alias Joe Walker, said the walk is driven by a desire to prevent avoidable deaths on Uganda’s roads.
“Today morning, we are setting off from Kampala to Hoima. This is the fifth time we are doing this,” Joe Walker said.
He recalled how the journey began years ago.
“The first time we were heading to Bushenyi, Simon used one word — he said, ‘the inaugural walk.’ I asked him, ‘You think there’s going to be a second one?’ And here we are, the fifth time we are heading out,” he said.
Joe Walker emphasized that road crashes are largely preventable.
“One of the things we should bother with is to prevent the causes of death. In road crashes, we have one preventable cause of death — something that is wiping out 14 people every day. It’s preventable. If you and me drive carefully, it’s preventable. If law enforcement officers do their job, it’s preventable,” he said.
He shared experiences from hospital visits across the country, describing the pain and fear faced by crash victims and their families.
“When you visit the hospitals — from the national referral hospital to the small clinics on the roadside — what you see, the stories you hear… their number one fear is whether they will be able to drive safely from one side of the country to the other,” he said.
He added that fear of road crashes has become so intense that some parents are reluctant to let their children travel.
“A lady once told us she no longer sends her kids to the market because she’s not sure they will come back home safe. But that’s not the life we ought to live,” he said.
“That’s our dream. That’s what Joe Walker walks for. We desire safe roads because we know safe roads save lives. As we set out, that’s our one message — let’s do what we are supposed to do and make sure every journey takes us back home safe.”
Simon Kaheru, Chairman of the Joe Walker Foundation, also condemned reckless driving and urged motorists to sober up and observe traffic regulations.
He hailed Joe Walker for his consistency and encouraged him to extend the campaign to all parts of Uganda to amplify the road safety message.
According to Uganda Police reports, an average of 14 people lose their lives daily due to road crashes, mainly attributed to speeding, reckless driving, and distracted driving — underscoring the urgency of sustained road safety awareness efforts such as the Kampala-Hoima walk.
The Kampala-Hoima walk is in partnership with Sanyuka TV, NBS Sport, Nicole Foundation, Pride Bank, Sheraton Hotel among others.
