Government Announces Opening of Five New Driving Licensing Offices, Including Hoima
The Ministry of Works and Transport has revealed plans to establish five additional regional driving licensing offices, with Hoima and Lira set to commence operations in the upcoming financial year.
Brian Masiko, the ICT Technical Support Supervisor at the ministry, explained that this initiative aims to make services more accessible to the public, who have expressed frustration over long travel distances, which have deterred many from obtaining driving permits.
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Currently, Uganda has seven regional driving licensing offices, but the rising demand has led to complaints, particularly from residents in Bunyoro, about the costs and challenges associated with traveling to Kampala or Fort Portal for licensing services.
Many individuals continue to drive without licenses due to these barriers.
Joram Tumwebaze, the Traffic Commander for the Albertine region, highlighted that one of the significant challenges in law enforcement is the prevalence of unlicensed drivers.
“During our operations on various roads, we frequently encounter vehicles operated by individuals lacking permits. When we inquire, many cite the expense of traveling to Kampala as their reason for not obtaining licenses.
Although we cannot arrest everyone, we consistently encourage them to get licensed,” Tumwebaze stated.
In response to these challenges, the Ministry of Works and Transport has announced the creation of five new driving licensing offices across the country, with Hoima and Lira leading the initiative.
“We have listened to the public’s concerns and have decided to open five new licensing offices, starting with Hoima and Lira, followed by Masaka, Kabale, and Soroti.
Meanwhile, our mobile teams are actively providing opportunities for people to obtain permits,” Masiko stated.
These announcements were made during a defensive driving training session for taxi drivers in Hoima, organised by Safe Way Right Way in collaboration with Total Energies.
Syline Asasira, the Monitoring and Evaluation Lead at Safe Way Right Way, emphasised the importance of training drivers in the region, especially with the improvement of road conditions and an increase in vehicles.
“Statistics indicate that Bunyoro often leads in road crash incidents, which may result from better roads and the number of drivers without permits.
Our goal is to engage all stakeholders, including traffic police, community leaders, and drivers, to promote responsible driving,” Asasira explained.
The participants in the training were later awarded certificates in defensive driving.
