UBL tackles soaring Bodaboda deaths with mass safety training

In a critical effort to curb the alarming rise in motorcycle-related fatalities, Uganda Breweries Limited (UBL) has trained and equipped over 150 Boda Boda operators in Luzira, Kampala, with essential safety gear.

The initiative, conducted as part of UBL’s Safety Awareness Week, targets the most vulnerable group on Ugandan roads, where traffic accidents have reached devastating levels.

The scale of the crisis facing Ugandan roads is stark. The Uganda Police Force Annual Crime Report 2024 revealed that motorcyclists account for nearly 47% of all road traffic deaths, with 2,396 motorcycle-related deaths recorded last year.

Overall, 5,144 people died in road crashes in 2024—a seven percent rise from the previous year. The report further noted the disastrous economic toll, with road crashes costing the economy approximately UGX 4.4 trillion, equating to five percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product.

In response, UBL provided intensive training focused on key safety protocols. The operators received a refresher course on traffic regulations, defensive riding techniques, traffic sign recognition, safe overtaking procedures, and speed management.

Following the session, each participant was equipped with a high-visibility reflector jacket and a safety helmet—gear proven to significantly reduce fatality rates in accidents.

Anthony Alozie, the Supply Chain Director at UBL, positioned the campaign under the company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) commitment.

"We consider health and safety as a fundamental human right. This initiative falls under our 'Doing Business the Right Way from Grain to Glass' pillar," Alozie stated.

He added that by transferring knowledge and protective equipment, UBL aims "to contribute to reversing the troubling upward trend in motorcycle fatalities.”

The intervention was warmly welcomed by law enforcement. AIGP Lawrence Niwabiine, the Director of Traffic and Road Safety at the Uganda Police Force, commended the timely initiative.

"Boda Boda operators are critical stakeholders in road safety, and such partnerships between the private sector and law enforcement are essential in our fight against road carnage," Niwabiine said, urging other corporate bodies to follow UBL’s example.

Hakim Wanswadhee, a Boda Boda cyclist from the Luzira stage, expressed profound gratitude, noting that the training "has opened our eyes to many risks we didn't realise we were taking."

He called on his colleagues to "take their lives more seriously because road safety is for our own benefit, our passengers' safety, and our families' future."