Uganda's Ministry of Works and Transport has begun enforcing rules against dump trucks that lack valid safety inspection certificates, with police-led operations targeting non-compliant vehicles for impoundment. The 60-day compliance window, which started on August 17, expired on October 16. By that date, the ministry said 492 dump trucks had been inspected, with 102 vehicles, or 20.7%, failing safety tests and 390 trucks, or 79.3%, passing.
The inspection exercise, conducted jointly with the Uganda Police Force, examines braking efficiency, steering, tyres, emissions, suspension, lighting systems and structural integrity. The ministry warned that trucks without valid certificates would be barred from public roads and that joint enforcement operations would begin immediately, with defaulters risking impoundment. Operators have been told to present vehicles at inspection centres in Namamve and Kawanda, with the programme eventually extending beyond the Kampala metropolitan area.
The enforcement drive follows persistent road safety concerns. Uganda Police's 2025 Annual Crime Report recorded 26,044 road crashes, up from 25,107 in 2024, with fatal crashes increasing from 4,434 to 4,602. Recent incidents included an August collision at Kamunga Trading Centre in Kalungu District that killed at least 14 people and injured four others when a commuter taxi hit a sand truck.
A parallel operation targeting commuter taxis has also intensified. As of October 15, 423 of 531 taxis inspected at Namamve and Kawanda had failed roadworthiness tests, representing 79.7%, with only 108 taxis, or 20.3%, passing. The ministry identified faulty brakes, defective steering, worn-out tyres, failed suspension and malfunctioning lights among the defects found.