Uganda’s Ambassador to Algeria, John Chrysostom Alintuma Nsambu, has questioned the effectiveness of the national security camera system after his brother was killed in a hit-and-run accident along the Masaka–Mbarara highway.
Nsambu raised the concerns during the burial of his elder brother, Ssenteza Francis, who was knocked dead at Kirumba–Ssaza Junction in Masaka District. The driver who caused the accident has not been identified.
The ambassador said security cameras installed along the highway near the accident scene were not functioning, making it impossible to trace the vehicle responsible for the fatal crash.
He revealed that while serving as State Minister for ICT in 2008, he had proposed the establishment of a national traffic control centre to monitor road movement across the country, but the project stalled due to financial constraints despite receiving interest from the President.
Nsambu also claimed that after his appointment as ambassador, he lobbied the Algerian government to support Uganda with funding for roadside surveillance cameras, but the proposal was not implemented.
He alleged that the Algerian government had been willing to provide grant funding for the installation of surveillance cameras across Uganda, and that preliminary mapping had even been conducted by Algerian and Ugandan police, but the project was later abandoned in favour of another procurement process which he claimed resulted in substandard cameras.
The ambassador called on government to investigate the matter, arguing that non-functional security cameras undermine crime detection, traffic enforcement, and public safety.
The State Minister for Trade, Fredrick Gume Ngobi, who represented the government at the burial, acknowledged the concerns and promised to raise the issue before Cabinet for discussion.
Local leaders from the Buganda Kingdom also expressed concern about the increasing number of fatal accidents along the Masaka–Mbarara highway, particularly between Nyendo and Kijjabwemi, a stretch residents say is prone to speeding and deadly crashes.
Local reports indicate that several people die annually on that section of the highway, with residents blaming speeding vehicles, lack of traffic calming measures, and ineffective surveillance systems.
The incident has once again raised broader questions about the functionality, procurement, and management of Uganda’s national CCTV camera network, which was introduced to help fight crime and improve traffic monitoring across major towns and highways.