By Peter Kahindi

Two years ago, an Old Boy from Nganwa Junior School passed away in a road accident. 

His name was Dr. Arthur Ahimbisibwe. 

Dr. Arthur, as he was fondly known amongst his peers, pursued everything he did with passion and excellence. 

He did everything with such rare commitment that it was hard for him not to leave an indelible mark wherever he passed.

I got to know of him when he started rallying up OBs and OGs on our alumni group to pursue causes that were for the benefit of our school. 

I recall that he vehemently persuaded us to join hands to ensure that we not only held the management of the school accountable in their day-to-day duties, but also engaged them to return the school to its glory days. 

As I recall, he offered to take the lead in the initiative.

From what we learnt in the aftermath, the accident that claimed his young life involved him trying to avoid an errant and reckless boda boda rider along the Gulu-Kampala highway. 

His death was particularly painful because up to the last minutes, he seemed to be conscious enough to record his ordeal. He sent out his love to his young family and his fellow bikers, medical professionals, OGs and OBs from the schools he had attended. 

He died shortly afterwards.

Dr. Arthur knew about professional riding etiquette and road safety very well, perhaps much more than the average motorist on our roads. On account of circumstances entirely beyond his control, his young life was cut short.

And now, we mourn afresh, as  another prominent medical professional and passionate biker has passed on. His name was Dr. Stephen Asiimwe. 

Dr. Asiimwe was the President of the Free Bikers Association, a public health expert and a lecturer at Mbarara University of Science and Technology. 

I did not know him personally, but through mutual friends and very close relatives. You can tell that this is a man that was passionate about his work, about his hobbies, about nature and about his country. 

He was, by all measure, a productive citizen.

The account of the events leading to Dr. Asiimwe’s passing, as reported by one of his fellow bikers as well as other sources is also sad but it also speaks to the kind of person Dr. Asiimwe was. 

Being passionate about riding and safety, he was a structured individual in his approach to this hobby – and had risen to the leadership of his club because of that.

Like Dr. Arthur, Dr. Asiimwe’s accident involved a reckless driver who decided to overtake several trucks when he (the errant driver) had no clear visibility of oncoming traffic, on a highway in Tanzania.

Dr. Asiimwe knew about safety and you can tell from what has been said about him so far that he took it very, very seriously.

As someone pointed out on one of the forums that were pondering over Dr. Asiimwe’s untimely passing, such fatal occurrences are really not about safely riding a motorbike. 

We have enough accidents arising from boda boda riders every day in Uganda. Most of them end in fatalities or permanent incapacities. 

So Ugandans know that riding motorcycles can be dangerous.

What is in question is the issue of accidents that occur to bikers who do everything in their capacity to be disciplined, follow traffic rules, wear all the safety gear that they are required to, live responsible lives and still get involved in fatal accidents. 

These circumstances seem to be beyond what can reasonably be said to be in their control.

In June this year Dr. Asiimwe tweeted about this when he had lost a niece to another unnecessary fatal crash. 

In his own words, 

“As a public health practitioner, it hurts so much when you see preventable deaths. Our roads & drivers have (for) long been deadly.”

As a country and as the East African community, we seriously need to delve deep into the issue of road usage and behavior. As motorists, we need to change our behavior and attitude especially towards motorcycle riders. 

I have often seen how impatient motorists get when driving cars on the highway right behind a motorcycle. The drivers sometimes behave like they don’t think the bikers should be on the road at all.

The other mistaken viewpoint makes motorists – and some pedestrians – think that bikers are people who choose to live their lives dangerously. 

This attitude is baseless.

It is also deadly, as we have seen too often, in the sense that some motorists therefore give little regard to the bikers’ rights to use roads with as much entitlement as motorists and other road users.

Safe roads save lives. We all have a role to play in making our roads safe, and saving lives of our compatriots.

Safe roads save lives.