This week, the government announced that it had commenced mandatory inspection of vehicles in the country, taking over from Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), a Swiss company that specialises in inspection, verification, testing and certification services.
Gen Katumba Wamala, the minister for Works and Transport, called for compliance, saying the exercise would help in reducing the high number of road accidents in the country.
‘Let’s have our vehicles inspected to protect the lives of Ugandans on the roads. We have talked about this many times, and how it is unhealthy for us; every year, to talk about the huge numbers in road accidents. We should find a way of reducing and reversing the trend,’ he said.
SGS commenced its services in November 2016 with seven inspection centres in Kampala, Gulu, Mbale and Mbarara. But Parliament halted the mandatory vehicle inspection in 2017 on the grounds of high fees charged by SGS, arguing that the mandate should be left to the police.
SGS was charging Shs54,752 for the inspection of motorcycles, Shs59,000 for buses, Shs100,000 for taxis and Shs147,500 for trucks.
The government will now charge Shs5,500 for motorcycles, Shs50,000 for saloon SUV vehicles, Shs49,000 for passenger service vehicles/taxis and Shs60,000 for heavy vehicles and buses. Mr Kharim Kibuuka, the acting vehicle inspector at the Ministry of Works, said the inspection kicked off on Monday with government vehicles until February, followed by commercial, goods and passenger service vehicles from March, and private vehicles will follow in that order.
However, he added that members of the public who wish to take their vehicles earlier for inspection are free to do so.
And it is for that reason that we call upon motorists to have their vehicles inspected. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Uganda ranks among the countries with the highest traffic death rates, estimated at 29 car deaths per 100,000 people.
According to the 2024 police crime report, at least 26 people lose their lives every day to murders and accidents. Of interest is that more than half of the 9,749 deaths registered last year were due to road accidents.
Cases of deaths due to road accidents have continued to rise despite several interventions by the government.
At least 5,144 people died in road crashes in 2024, of which 228 were drivers, 1,720 motorcyclists, 138 pedal cyclists, 676 were passengers on motorcycles, eight passengers on tricycles, 144 were passengers in light omnibuses, eight passengers on medium omnibuses, 33 were passengers in heavy omnibuses, 438 passengers in other vehicles, 1,666 were pedestrians and 85 others.
Our appeal is that you have your vehicles inspected and fixed so that we protect lives.