The Ministry of Health has welcomed the rollout of Uganda’s new Electronic Express Penalty System, a technology-driven approach to enforcing traffic laws aimed at reducing road crashes and the burden on health services.
The system, part of the broader Intelligent Transport Management System (ITMS), uses CCTV surveillance and digital number plates to automatically detect and penalise traffic offences such as speeding and running red lights.
Unlike previous enforcement measures, which often penalised vehicle owners regardless of who was driving, the new system is designed to hold individual drivers accountable. Authorities say it will help identify traffic offenders and track vehicles with unpaid fines more accurately.
Speaking to journalists, Emmanuel Ainebyoona, Senior Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Health, said the system is a welcome development. He noted that the high number of road accidents places an enormous strain on the country’s health facilities.
“This initiative will not only enhance road discipline but also ease the pressure on health workers who are often overwhelmed by accident-related emergencies,” Ainebyoona said. “We urge drivers and riders to adhere to traffic regulations to avoid penalties and, more importantly, to save lives.”
At Kabale Regional Referral Hospital, medical professionals are already seeing the toll of traffic crashes firsthand. Moses Chelogoi, the hospital’s Principal Radiologist, revealed that out of 80 to 130 patients who seek CT scan services weekly, about 80 percent are road accident victims.
“Most of them are male boda boda riders with head injuries,” Chelogoi explained, adding that prior to the installation of CT scan services at the hospital, patients from across the Kigezi sub-region had to be transported to Mbarara for imaging.
Nationwide data paints a grim picture. According to the Uganda Police Force, road traffic crashes rose by 6.4% in 2024, increasing from 23,608 incidents in 2023 to 25,107. Fatal crashes also went up by 6.1%, from 4,179 to 4,434 deaths. During a single week in early 2025—from 23 February to 1 March—motorcycle-related crashes accounted for 53% of all road fatalities, while pedestrians made up a further 23%.
The Electronic Express Penalty System is now being seen not only as a tool for law enforcement, but also as a public health intervention in a country grappling with the deadly consequences of unsafe roads.
