Dear Editor
I recently read an opinion published in one of HillPost’s Weekly, calling on President Yoweri Museveni to consider making body cameras mandatory for Traffic Police officers deployed on Uganda’s roads.
The proposal has stayed with me because of the continuing loss of lives on our roads. Only a few weeks after that opinion was published, the country was confronted with the heart-breaking news of a fatal road crash along the Kapchorwa route in which more than 20 school children died. Such tragedies should compel us to look beyond individual accidents and examine the systems responsible for enforcing road safety.
I have personally witnessed a relative working in the Uganda Police Traffic Department, reporting for duty on the roads and returning home with money allegedly given by motorists who had violated traffic rules, including reckless driving and other offences.
I do not make this observation to condemn every Traffic Police officer. Many officers perform a difficult and important job under challenging conditions. However, allegations of bribery and weak enforcement on our roads are serious enough to demand stronger accountability mechanisms.
This is where body cameras could make a difference.
Johnny Bulaweya
Ntinda
Kampala
