KAMPALA AMONG CITIES TO BENEFIT FROM $350 MILLION GLOBAL ROAD SAFETY INITIATIVE -KCCA

KAMPALA AMONG CITIES TO BENEFIT FROM $350 MILLION GLOBAL ROAD SAFETY INITIATIVE

PUBLISHED — 29th, April 2026

Kampala has secured renewed international support to strengthen road safety efforts under a new $350 million global investment through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety, part of Bloomberg Philanthropies’ public health programme.

The announcement, made by Michael R. Bloomberg at the CityLab 2026 summit in Madrid, on April 28, confirms that Kampala is among more than 30 cities selected to benefit from the programme’s next phase running from 2026 to 2030.

The development builds on a partnership first established in July 2020, when Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) joined the initiative to tackle road crashes and fatalities, with a strong focus on speeding and safer urban mobility.

Since then, KCCA has steadily rolled out interventions aimed at improving road safety across the city, positioning Kampala within a global network of cities implementing data-driven and evidence-based solutions.

Across Kampala’s busy corridors, from Wandegeya and Clock Tower to Kalerwe and along Jinja Road, the Authority has been working to restore order, improve traffic flow and enhance safety for all road users.

Welcoming the renewed support, Eng. Justus Akankwasa, KCCA Director of Engineering and Technical Services, said the Authority will use the next phase to consolidate and scale up ongoing efforts.

He noted that KCCA will intensify measures to enhance road safety in the city through regular maintenance of the road network, construction and repair of Non-Motorised Transport facilities like sidewalks, road marking and painting, street lighting and implementation of data-led interventions alongside continued collaboration with stakeholders like Civil Society, the Ministry of Works and Transport and the Traffic Police; to better protect all road users, particularly the vulnerable.

According to the World Health Organization, more than one million people die globally each year in road crashes, with young people aged between five and 29 the most affected. Many of these deaths are preventable and often linked to weak enforcement, unsafe road design and rapid urbanisation. Kampala registered a modest 2% reduction in reported road traffic deaths, from 411 in 2023 to 404 in 2024, a sign of progress in its efforts.

Under the next phase of the programme, KCCA will continue to receive technical support in key areas including crash data management, safer road design, traffic enforcement and public communication campaigns.

The initiative is also expected to support improvements in infrastructure, through road safety audits of planned designs and the existing road network with recommendations for enhanced safety options that promote usability by all users.

Globally, the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety has helped enact 190 policies protecting more than 4.2 billion people and is credited with saving nearly 900,000 lives since 2007. The new phase aims to save an additional one million lives over the next five years.

For Kampala, the continued partnership also demonstrates that road safety remains a priority for the city leadership, providing an opportunity to scale up successful interventions, address emerging challenges, and move closer to the goal of reducing road traffic deaths and serious injuries while building delivering safer, more organised roads ensuring that mobility in the capital is not only efficient, but also safe for all.

By Geofrey Mutegeki Araali

Communication and Media Relations Officer