Kampala, Uganda — Kampala is set to benefit from a renewed global push to improve road safety after being selected for a $350 million investment under the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety.
The announcement was made by Michael R. Bloomberg during the CityLab 2026 summit held in Madrid on April 28. Kampala is among more than 30 cities chosen for the programme’s next phase, which will run from 2026 to 2030.
This latest development builds on an earlier partnership established in 2020, when the Kampala Capital City Authority joined the initiative to address rising road crashes and fatalities, particularly those linked to speeding and unsafe urban mobility.
Since then, KCCA has implemented a series of measures aimed at improving safety across major traffic corridors, including Wandegeya, Clock Tower, Kalerwe, and Jinja Road. These efforts have focused on restoring order, improving traffic flow, and protecting pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.
Welcoming the renewed support, Eng. Justus Akankwasa, Director of Engineering and Technical Services at KCCA, said the city plans to build on the progress already made.
“We are going to consolidate and scale up ongoing interventions to enhance safety for all road users,” he said.
He added that the next phase will prioritize regular road maintenance, expansion of non-motorised transport infrastructure such as sidewalks, improved road markings, better street lighting, and the use of data-driven approaches. Collaboration with stakeholders—including civil society, the Ministry of Works and Transport, and traffic police—will also be strengthened.
According to the World Health Organization, road crashes claim more than one million lives globally each year, with young people aged between five and 29 among the most affected. Many of these fatalities are preventable and often linked to poor road design, weak enforcement, and rapid urbanisation.
In Kampala, there has been modest progress, with reported road traffic deaths dropping by 2%, from 411 in 2023 to 404 in 2024.
Under the new phase of the programme, the city will receive technical support in areas such as crash data management, safer road design, traffic law enforcement, and public awareness campaigns. The initiative will also support infrastructure improvements through safety audits of both planned and existing road networks.
Globally, the Bloomberg Philanthropies road safety programme has contributed to the adoption of 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, officials say the continued partnership underscores the city’s commitment to reducing road deaths and injuries, while building a safer and more efficient urban transport system for all.