The ministry of Health has welcomed the Electronic Express Penalty System, an automated mechanism designed to penalize traffic offenders using CCTV cameras and digital number plates.
The ministry says this will enhance road safety by reducing traffic violations such as speeding and red-light offences. The system is part of the broader Intelligent Transport Management System (ITMS).
Unlike in the past, when fines would often be passed on to vehicle owners, this new system is designed to identify and penalize the actual offending driver or rider. It also enables authorities to track vehicles with outstanding penalties.
Emmanuel Ainebyoona, senior public relations officer at the ministry of Health, hailed the new system as a timely intervention that will reduce the pressure on medical personnel attending to road accident victims.
“As the ministry of Health, we welcome the move by the ministry of Works and Transport to introduce the automated penalty system. It will bring discipline among cyclists and drivers not to exceed certain limits which attract automatic fines. That is an intervention that will impact the annual causes of death, where accidents have been a big contributor,” Ainebyoona said.
He added that instilling discipline among road users would go a long way in reducing injuries and fatalities, especially among motorcyclists and pedestrians, who are often the most vulnerable.
Hospital burden
Dr Moses Chelogoi, principal radiologist at Kabale regional referral hospital, noted that the burden of road crashes on the health sector is immense. He revealed that 80 per cent of the patients seeking CT scan services at the hospital are accident victims.
“Out of 80 to 130 patients we attend to in the CT scan department, about 80 per cent are victims of road accidents—mostly male boda boda riders with serious head injuries,” said Chelogoi.
Before the hospital acquired a CT scanner, victims from the Kigezi region had to be transferred to Mbarara, delaying critical care. According to the Uganda Police Force, road crashes increased by 6.4 per cent in the past year from 23,608 in 2023 to 25,107 in 2024.
Fatal crashes rose by 6.1 per cent, from 4,179 to 4,434. During just one week from February 23 to March 1, 2025, over 53% of all recorded deaths were due to motorcycle-related crashes, and 23 per cent involved pedestrians.
