Police to close driving schools without licenses

Due to increased spate of road carnages, the police traffic directorate has started a campaign to close all driving schools operating without a license.

The directorate’s spokesperson, Ms Farida Nampiima June 20 said police have joined the Ministry of Works and Transport in the campaign to make sure that road accidents are reduced.

“We are warning all those people operating the driving schools to renew their operating licenses before they are closed,” she said.

Ms Nampiima also urged proprietors of illegal driving schools to close them before police launches a crackdown.

Traffic police have also directed that testing of candidates to drive heavy vehicles such as buses and trailers is also to be done by police at the Force’s headquarters in Kampala.  

“All buses with pending traffic tickets, without PSV license and third party insurance shall not be allowed on the road,” she added.

A June 5-11 traffic police report indicates that Uganda registered 419 accidents of which 67 were fatal, 266 serious and 116 minor.

Further, from June 12-18, the country posted 50 fatal accidents. About 204 accidents were serious with with 101 minor accidents recorded over the same period.

Ms Nantume Catherine, the communication and customer care manager for Uganda drivers licensing systems said: “Once the driving schools and traffic police have tested and approved, we promise to print and issue the Driving License in a convenient and timely manner, Drivers can come into any of our seven branches and be assured of great service.”

The annual police crime report of 2021indicates that there was a 42 percent increase in the number of road crashes reported in 2021 from 12,249 in 2020 to 17,443.