Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) has passed out 6,120 boda boda riders and road marshals after a comprehensive training in road safety management and first aid.
The training was financially supported by Prudential Uganda, under the partnership known as Safe Steps Road Safety Africa campaign.
At the ceremony held at Nakawa Vocational Training College, Kampala on December 9, 2025, URCS secretary general Robert Kwesiga said this was the third phase of the campaign that has so far trained 18,600 since its launch in 2022 – 4,000 in 2022/23; 8,000 in 2023/24; and 6,120 in 2025/25.
The trainees were got from Kampala, Mukono, Wakiso, Mbarara, Mityana, Masaka and Arua districts. He described the training as rich and deep, comprising the Uganda Highway Code, distracted driving, speed limits, pedestrian safety, overtaking, drink driving, helmet management, fracture and injury management, basic first aid and coordination with ambulance services, among others.
Other partners in the campaign are the ministry of Works and Transport, Uganda Police Force and the ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Develop- ment. Kwesiga called upon the graduates to encourage others to join the training and the campaign in the future phases.
He noted that with more than 1.5 million boda bodas in the country and over 350,000 in Kampala, the figure of 18,600 was still insignificant. Winstone Katushabe, commissioner for Transport Regulation and Safety at the ministry of Works and Transport, was the chief guest, represented by assistant commissioner for Railway Transport Regulation and Safety, Cynthia Bindeeba.
He urged all road users to be extra careful during the coming festive season, stressing that every single life lost is a loss too many.
“This campaign shows what is possible when there are partnerships. … I urge everyone to follow the rules, principles and knowledge got from the training. Uganda is not waiting for safety; we are doing it already. And it is a personal decision,” he counselled.
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