Translate road signs into local languages - Mayiga

As the government struggles to reduce the rampant accidents along roads, particularly major highways like the Kampala-Masaka road, the Katikiro of Buganda has advised that all road signs be translated into local languages that motorists and pedestrians understand.

Charles Peter Mayiga said motorists should stop blaming the accidents on the smoothness of the road.

He was addressing the kingdom's Lukiiko seating at Bulange Mengo, Kampala.

Early this month, nine people were killed in an accident at Kamutuuza town along the Kampala-Masaka highway.

"The road has no problem, but drivers need to cautious and disciplined. You must be disciplined; stop  driving when you are drunk or when you're tired. Others drive at a high speed without reading these signs while others don't understand the signs," he said.

Mayiga stressed that majority of motorists cannot read and understand many of the road signs "because they do not know English".

He said research shows that only 2.7 million people in Uganda understand English.

"You see many people speaking English but cannot understand these road signs.  I believe it is the reason we have many of these accidents. That is why we need all road signs translated into local country wide."

The Buganda premier shared a personal experience. "At one time one of my friends and highly educated from Makerere asked me the meaning of 'don't drive on shoulders'. That is when I realized that we have a big problem. Even those you think are educated cannot interpret these signs".

Mayiga also asked the ministry of works together with traffic to ban all vehicles in dangerous mechanical condition (DMCs) from "our roads" if they are to stop accidents in the country.