President Yoweri Museveni has assented to the Traffic and Road Safety Amendment Bill 2023, which was recently passed by parliament.
According to the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Anent Among, this is one of the six Bills signed into law by the President.
According to this Act, which takes effect on July 1, 2023, violating a speed restriction established under subsection (1) is an offence punishable by a fine of up to 2 million shillings, imprisonment not exceeding three years, or both.
“A person who fails to comply with a speed limit set under subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable to a fine not exceeding one hundred currency points or imprisonment not exceeding three years,” Hon. Among stated.
The goal of the government’s action is to restore order and lessen the carnage on Ugandan roadways.
Hon. Among also stated that the Bill provides for a speed limit to ease the control of speed limits through the express penalty scheme as opposed to court prosecution as provided for under the Roads Act.
According to the annual crime report 2022 presented by the Uganda Police Force in February, traffic offences increased to 456,993 cases, of which road traffic crashes increased to 20,394, of which 3901 crashes were fatal, 10,776 were serious, and 5,717 were minor by nature.
The other bills assented to by the President include the Appropriations Bill 2023, the Value Added Tax Amendment Bill 2023, the Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2023, the Lotteries and Gaming Amendment Bill, and the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters Bills.
