The recent Kampala-Masaka traffic jam should worry security officials

COMMENT | Samson Tinka | On 29^th Dec 2025, I landed in an unexpected evening traffic jam at a place called Mpambire, around 40 km on the Kampala-Masaka road. I imagined there was an accident a few meters ahead that had slowed us down. I didn’t know that I would leave the same spot 15 hours later after a night never to be forgotten.

Initially, VIPs with lead cars kept their sirens on; a few ambulances also left their horns on in an attempt to get access, but within 30 minutes, they knew they had hit a dead end. The whole road went into silent mode apart from a few trucks and buses that kept their engines on.

The losses associated with this traffic jam are huge. I know two international poultry companies that lost one-day-old chicks because of heat. One-day-old chicks (ODC) are fragile and require special handling. Movement of live animals and birds is timed, and they must move from one point to another uninterrupted.

Fuso trucks carrying cows, pigs and goats were not spared either. These guys are counting huge losses. Animals are also fragile, and any delay affects not only their lives but also the quality of meat in the butcher.

Milk traders also lost money since milk is perishable.

The genesis of the traffic jam:

1. Earlier in the day, the number one principal of the nation – H.E. YK Museveni – was in the areas of Mpigi and somehow the flow of traffic was interrupted to allow his movement. This would not have hugely affected the traffic flow. Ugandan drivers who are impatient and inconsiderate when it comes to road discipline chose to create three lanes to Kampala and three lanes out of Kampala, and ultimately, the two-lane road was overwhelmed. Consequently, both directions came to a halt. The gridlock lasted over 16 hours
2. Traffic police had hitherto been deployed during the day around the political rallies that were in the same area. After work they retreated to their barracks and homes to catch a breath. The few who stayed were overwhelmed by the unruly, disorganised and ego-filled Ugandans. By 9pm, they had also withdrawn at least from where I was at that point. Without traffic officers on the road and undisciplined Ugandans, the traffic jam mayhem had to occur.
3. Evening rains. In Kampala and the surrounding areas, traffic jams are a cousin to rain. Every time it rains, expect a slow or even a packed traffic jam. In Mpigi, it rained from 7pm up to 4am when I started writing this article.
4. Many Ugandans were exiting villages and going back to the city and the neighbouring districts. There was unusual traffic flow into Kampala that would not need any form of interruption. The president being in the area necessitated traffic regulation that included road closures (temporary), diversions, etc. This act, coupled with already heavy traffic from Masaka and other western districts, caused one of the worst traffic jams ever witnessed in recent times.
5. Presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi was on the same day in Kalungu district for campaigns. He also moves with a sizeable number of vehicles and boda bodas. These too added on to the weight of the already worse traffic jam situation.

It is a security issue

That 29^th Dec 2025 traffic jam on the Kampala-Mpigi-Masaka road was a very serious security and safety concern that requires authorities review so that it should never happen again. Any terrorist attack would have killed thousands of Ugandans. This was a concentrated target. The traffic jam had in it fuel tankers that could have burnt a number of vehicles with occupants. Even a normal incident of a car burning would have killed hundreds. Even fire brigade teams would find challenges providing rescue services. It was a horrible experience.

Children, the elderly, hypertensive patients, diabetic patients, and ulcer patients suffered a lot. They missed their medicines, they suffered hunger, there were no places of convenience, pregnant women suffered nightmares, toddlers cried, and aged people risked dying. This traffic jam was a severe safety and security breach.

Did police cameras convey this live footage to the command centre?

I am sure the highway cameras conveyed this live footage to the command centre. Police should have deployed both short and tall- Abawanvu na bampi to handle this disaster.  A team of 50 FFU personnel led by a few traffic officers would have handled this mess. Why did police officers sleep on this matter?  Even the army from the first division would have supported them. This once again takes us back as a country to how we respond to disasters. This traffic jam didn’t fall into place from nowhere. It built up slowly until it became a disaster of sorts. The CCTV infrastructure cost the government billions, and one way of leveraging this investment was to solve such traffic jam problem before it became a national shame. Hopefully some people have reported to CID headquarters in Kibuli to detail what went wrong.

Kampala-Mpigi Motorway and Mpigi-Nakawuka-Kasenge Road

If the above roads were already tarmacked or in good motorable condition, maybe traffic would have been diverted through these roads and reduced the stress on the main highway. The works ministry should up the game on these projects. Kasenge-Nakawuka-Mpigi road is a very important road. Even before it’s tarmacked, the current feeder road should be well maintained to support the Kla-Mpigi traffic craze. Which is not the case. Personally I used the Kassenge-Nakawuka-Mpigi Kubikondo road, but it was in a bad state.

Time as a cost

Most Ugandans rarely see time as a cost in business. In fact, it’s the most serious cost in business.  Sand trucks, cargo trailers, Fuso trucks with matooke, Irish, etc. lost time; truck owners need money; they are not bothered with how long the driver spent in traffic jam., they just count day and night. When a business loses money, the government ultimately loses a tax. Where there no taxes, there is no development.

I expect the cabinet, the police PAC, and all top commanders of security agencies to review this mess and find both a quick fix and a long-term solution. What happened on the night of December 29th and the morning of December 30 was a security and transport disaster that shamed the Pearl of Africa. A journey from Mbarara to Kampala that would take 4-5 hours took 16 hours. Who will compensate those that lost lives, milk, cows, etc.?

Let’s protect the gains wholesomely.

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The writer was trapped in the traffic jam for 16 hours

Samson Tinka

tindsam@yahoo.com