Vice President Maj. (Rtd) Jessica Alupo officiates the launch of the National Guide for Safe School Zones during the URoSAC Conference in Munyonyo, May 2025.
At this point, the urgency of Safe School Zone initative is impossible to ignore. According to the Uganda Police Annual Report, 268 children aged 5 to 17 lost their lives and over 1,300 were seriously injured in road crashes in 2024 alone, many while walking to or from school. The report shows that children are increasingly vulnerable, especially in areas without crossings, signage, or speed regulation.
In May 2025, Uganda launched the Safe School Zone Initiative to curb child road crash fatalities. Led by the Ministry of Education and Sports, the program combines road safety education and a multi-sectorial approach in promoting safer school environments nationwide with the aim to reduce child road crashes through education and enforcement, improve school zone infrastructure, integrate road safety into the curriculum, empower communities, and coordinate efforts under a unified national platform.
STASSU
ROSACU’s member organizations have started operationalizing the SSZ initiative, with STASSU leading the partnering with the Ministry of Education and Sports to advocate for the establishment of a National Road Safety School Community Platform. The proposed platform seeks to centralize and strengthen road safety education, awareness, and coordination in schools and communities across the country.
Safe Way Right Way
With support from TotalEnergies Uganda, SWRW is reaching out to schools through their VIA Road Safety Program. In Ndandamire Primary School, 182 Primary One learners were introduced to safe crossing basics. Similar sessions were also extended to schools like Anel Junior School and Pamitu primary school. Learners were engaged in interactive road safety education through initiatives such as School Road Safety Clubs. These clubs offer more than just classroom lessons, they equip children with practical, life-saving skills and instill a culture of road safety responsibility from an early age.
Safe Way Right Way’s programs empower children to recognize dangers, influence peers, and become safety champions.
Responsive Drivers Uganda
ReDU, with support from UN-Habitat, has implemented road safety interventions benefiting three primary schools in Gulu City: Mother Angeletta Primary School, Gulu Primary School, and Mama Cave Primary School.
The support included:
- Painting zebra crossings to enhance safe crossings for learners
- Illustrating road safety signs and symbols on school building walls to raise awareness among learners, teachers, parents, and boda boda riders and drivers during drop-off and pick-off.
- Recruiting lollipop wardens to assist children in crossing roads safely
- Conducting monthly community sensitization through radio talk shows on Radio Pacis FM.
Challenges
According to Mr. Sam Bambaza, ROSACU’s General Secretary, many organizations face challenges of limited funding, weak infrastructure, low awareness, especially in rural areas, low parent engagement, and competing school priorities. This challenges hinder interventions.
“Through united action, every stakeholder, government, schools, parents, and communities – must rise to the challenge of making school zones safe. This is Uganda’s urgent call to action: No child should ever lose their life on the way to learn. We must act now – embed road safety in education, upgrade school-zone infrastructure, scale up the national platform, and mobilize every parent, teacher, and leader. Together, we can end these preventable tragedies and raise a generation rooted in a culture of road safety.” Said Mr. Bambanza