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Motorists blocked vehicles travelling in the opposite direction from Mpigi towards Masaka, leading to a complete standstill
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Mpigi
Police have dismissed claims that President Yoweri Museveni’s campaign activities caused the massive traffic jam that paralysed sections of the Masaka–Kampala highway on December 29, leaving hundreds of travellers stranded overnight. The gridlock mainly affected travellers returning from Western Uganda, with some motorists and passengers spending the night on the road and only resuming their journeys the following morning. The incident sparked widespread public debate, with sections of the public attributing the congestion to the President’s campaign activities in Mpigi District.
However, police have refuted these claims, saying the traffic jam was caused by a combination of heavy traffic volume, road indiscipline, and accidents along the highway.
According to SP Kananura Michale, the traffic police spoekesperson, the congestion resulted from an unusually high number of vehicles travelling from Masaka towards Kampala as people returned to the city from the Christmas festive season. He noted that the narrow nature of the highway, coupled with motorists creating illegal and extra lanes, significantly worsened the situation.
“Motorists blocked vehicles travelling in the opposite direction from Mpigi towards Masaka, leading to a complete standstill,” police said in a statement. The situation was further aggravated by a crash involving a truck and a lorry at Lungala, which temporarily cut off the road entirely, as well as a broken-down trailer in the Kamengo area.
Police said traffic officers were eventually able to restore order and clear the road, allowing vehicles to resume movement after several hours of disruption.
“It is not true that the President had any connection to the traffic jam,” police emphasised, urging the public to avoid distorting facts surrounding the incident.
Despite the police explanation, opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, blamed the traffic jam on President Museveni’s campaign activities in Mpigi. In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Kyagulanyi expressed sympathy with stranded travellers and criticised the alleged blockage of the road during the campaign.
“Pole sana to all citizens who spent the night on Kampala–Masaka Road and those who are still stuck. A journey that should ordinarily take two hours took close to 20 hours,” Kyagulanyi wrote.
Bobi Wine posted his comments with this photo of Museveni sitting on the roadside that has since gone viral on Social Media
He alleged that sections of the road were blocked for hours as the President campaigned in Mpigi and claimed that at one point the President sat in the middle of the road while addressing supporters.
Kyagulanyi further argued that such incidents highlight the effects of poor governance, saying no leader should inconvenience citizens in that manner, especially those travelling with patients seeking medical attention.
Police, however, maintain that traffic congestion during the festive season is common on major highways and have called on motorists to observe traffic rules to avoid similar incidents in the future.
Torch Media Africa
