Heavy container trucks, fuel tankers must get off Ugandan roads - Museveni declares in Kenya

President Yoweri Museveni has said Uganda is moving toward a shift in its transport system, where heavy cargo and fuel tankers must be removed from roads and transferred to rail and pipeline networks.

Museveni made the remarks on Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Kisumu, Kenya, where he joined President William Ruto to flag off construction of the Naivasha–Kisumu–Malaba Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) extension and lay the foundation for a key regional railway link.

The project forms part of a wider regional plan to connect East and Central Africa, including Uganda, DR Congo, Rwanda and South Sudan, through modern rail infrastructure.

Speaking at the event, Museveni criticised Uganda’s current transport system as inefficient and costly.

“We are breaking ground for the railway from Kisumu to Malaba. The railway is part of the rationalisation of our transport system especially on the Uganda side which is irrational and wasteful,” he said.

He explained that Uganda’s roads currently carry passengers, light cargo, heavy goods and petroleum products at the same time, creating congestion and inefficiency.

“Our plan is to transfer all heavy cargo to the railway. This is the point of this undertaking. All heavy cargo must get off the road and go to the railway,” Museveni added.

The president also warned about the risks posed by fuel tankers on highways, saying they contribute to road damage and accidents.

“Fuel trucks being on the road is dangerous to life, but they also damage roads and cause accidents,” he said.

He noted that shifting fuel transport to pipelines would improve safety and reduce maintenance costs on national roads.

Museveni linked the transport reforms to economic competitiveness, arguing that high transport costs make Ugandan goods less attractive on global markets.

“We are not aiming at convenience and crowding the roads by all items but we are also looking at the competitiveness of the economies,” he said.

He warned that expensive logistics could undermine Uganda’s industrial ambitions.

“No one can buy something expensive, when the Chinese are making the same thing cheaply. It is therefore madness to go on with road transport for cargo for the railway. We cannot compete in world markets,” he added.

Museveni praised Kenya for extending the railway from Mombasa through Nairobi and Naivasha to Kisumu and Malaba.

He said Uganda would now accelerate its own railway projects to connect with the regional network.

“We are going to push our part from Malaba to Kampala, from Kampala to Kasese, to Mpondwe, linking with the DRC,” he said.

He added that Uganda is also working on railway lines from Tororo to Gulu and Nimule to link with South Sudan, as well as from Bihanga to Kigali in Rwanda.