By Juungu Archelaus
Every single day, about 15 people lose their lives on our roads—a figure confirmed by the latest 2025 Annual Traffic Police Report. We must realise these are not just numbers to be filed away in a police report; they are “invisible human costs” that steal the very future of our nation. We have endured the tragedies of the LRA war and the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the road scourge continues to claim 15 souls every single morning. It is a horror story written in the blood of our best and brightest—from the tragic loss of Brig. Gen. Fred and Brig. Gen. (Rtd) Katende Kyambadde on the same fateful day, to the day we lost Rajiv Ruparelia in a tragic accident at the Busabala flyover.
The scale of this crisis is most visible in mass tragedies, such as the Kampala–Gulu highway crash in October 2025 that claimed 63 lives. When we look at the empty chairs left by these victims, alongside those of Hon. Patrick Okabe, Gladys Allyinza, Peter Banura, and Maxwell Kuwembula, we see a void that no stern warning can ever fill. Our highways have become a theatre of chaos, where traffic officers often seem more interested in bribes than in saving lives, and lorries overloaded with sugarcane crawl slowly without reflectors. Taxis load passengers mercilessly. These are common scenes of lawlessness and a lack of humility.
Reflecting on the initiatives and humility of the late Rajiv Ruparelia, we are reminded that words alone are not enough. History shows that individual tragedies often spark national movements; Rajiv’s passing is a reminder that no one—not even our brightest—is safe from this highway lawlessness. The idea of gazetting May 3rd—the anniversary of Rajiv’s tragic accident—as a national day of remembrance is more than a sentimental gesture. Truly, it is a necessary mirror for our nation. Just as the songs of the late Philly Bongoley Lutaaya once moved a nation to fight HIV with action, we must now move beyond simple warnings and empty rhetoric.
The time has come for our leaders and enforcement agencies to move toward meaningful change. We need more than just stern warnings; we need a commitment to discipline, an end to highway corruption, and infrastructure that protects life rather than endangers it. Let us honour the souls we have lost by choosing, finally, to take the actions that will save those who are still with us.
The writer is a student at Mbarara University (MUST) [email protected].
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