The Ministry of Health has thrown its weight behind the newly rolled-out Electronic Express Penalty System, a digital traffic enforcement initiative aimed at cracking down on reckless driving and reducing Uganda’s rising road accident toll.
At the heart of this new initiative lies the Intelligent Transport Management System (ITMS), which leverages CCTV surveillance and digital number plates to automatically detect and penalize traffic offenders. Common infractions—like speeding and running red lights—will now be flagged in real-time, with penalties swiftly issued to the drivers themselves, rather than to the vehicle owners, as was previously the case.
According to health ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Ainebyoona, the move couldn’t be more timely. “Our health workers have long borne the brunt of road carnage. Reducing road crashes means easing the load on our emergency rooms,” he noted. He emphasized that beyond streamlining traffic law enforcement, the system will instill a much-needed sense of discipline among motorists and boda boda riders, ultimately saving lives.
The scale of the problem is sobering. At Kabale Regional Referral Hospital, Principal Radiologist Dr. Moses Chelogoi reveals that up to 80 percent of patients seeking CT scan services are accident victims—mostly young male boda boda riders with severe head injuries. “Before we had a functioning CT scanner here, these cases had to be rushed to Mbarara, which often meant critical delays,” Chelogoi explained.
Uganda’s traffic crash statistics paint an equally grim picture. According to the Uganda Police Force, road crashes surged by 6.4%—from 23,608 in 2023 to 25,107 in 2024. Fatal accidents rose by 6.1%, climbing from 4,179 to 4,434 over the same period. More alarmingly, in the one-week span between February 23 and March 1, 2025, motorcycles accounted for 53% of road-related deaths, with pedestrians making up another 23%.
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Ainebyoona urged drivers and riders to take the new system seriously, reminding them that the road is no place for complacency. “The goal isn’t just to punish but to protect. Follow the rules, save lives—including your own,” he said.
With the government taking a tech-driven approach to tackle traffic chaos, there’s hope that the roads may become less of a death trap and more of a safe passage for all Ugandans.
