The Inter-Party Youth Platform (IYOP), a coalition of youth leaders from various political parties, has expressed deep sorrow and anger following the fatal road crash that claimed 46 lives on the Kampala–Gulu Highway on October 22, 2025.
In a joint statement issued from the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) headquarters in Bukoto, the group described the tragedy as “a painful reminder of the urgent need to reform Uganda’s transport and road safety systems.”
The crash, which occurred in Kitaleba Village, near Asili Farm, left dozens dead and many others injured. The youth leaders said the incident reflects a broader failure of Uganda’s transport management, citing weak enforcement, corruption, and poor infrastructure.
“This heartbreaking event underscores the abdication of duty by government institutions and citizens to uphold safety, discipline, and accountability on our roads,” said IYOP Chairperson Agaba Nelson, who also serves as ANT’s National Youth League Coordinator.
IYOP criticised the Kampala–Gulu Highway as “a death trap,” describing it as one of the oldest and most neglected roads in Uganda — narrow, poorly illuminated, and lacking critical safety features such as overtaking lanes, reflective signage, and emergency response systems.
The platform decried the country’s over reliance on road transport, which accounts for 95 percent of passenger and freight movement, calling the system “fragile, unsafe, and inefficient.”
They also condemned the worsening congestion in Kampala and its metropolitan areas, describing it as a “national productivity crisis.”
“Why should a trip to Gayaza take longer than a trip to Dubai?” the statement asked rhetorically, pointing to the chaos in urban mobility and the absence of a modern public transport framework.
Among their proposals, IYOP called for:
An integrated and multimodal transport system linking road, rail, water, and air;
Urban transport reform through light rail, modern buses, and cycling lanes;
Transparent infrastructure financing to curb corruption;
A national declaration of road safety as a public health emergency; and
Revitalisation of rail and water transport to reduce pressure on highways.
They further demanded a comprehensive nationwide transport audit and a day of national mourning for the victims of the crash and all lives lost on Ugandan roads.
“No nation can claim progress while its citizens continue to die and suffer on its roads,” the statement concluded. “The time for decisive, accountable, and forward-looking action is now.”
The Inter-Party Youth Platform brings together youth leagues from the ANT, DP, FDC, NRM, UPC, JEEMA, CP, EPU, UFA, and PPP.
