By Peter Kahindi

On the night of October 18, Uganda traffic police arrested 124 drivers across nine Kampala Metropolitan divisions in a drink-driving crackdown.

We often refer to this operation as Kawunyemu (Luganda for “Breathe into it…” meaning the breathalyser). Katwe Police Station recorded the highest number of arrests at 24, followed by Kawempe (18) and Nansana (16).

On Friday, October 23rd, 92 were arrested and detained under similar circumstances.

This time, Jinja Road came out on top.

Areas like Bugolobi, Luzira, Old Kampala, Ntinda, Naguru, Kiwatule, and Najjera were generally not covered, otherwise the numbers might have been a bit more interesting.

The Uganda Police promise is that these operations will be continuous across the entire Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.

Not Ignorance, but Indiscipline

The culprits were not people who didn’t know.

Many of them are well-educated, operate businesses, definitely own smartphones with ride-hailing apps, and have read every warning ever published about drink-driving.

And yet they drank their alcohol, picked up car keys, and mentally placed a bet that the night would be different from any of the warnings put out there over decades.

Those 124 were caught, but many others were not.

Let’s discuss this like sensible people – you and I: people who are educated, exposed to better things, and fully aware of what is right and what is wrong.

Our problem is not ignorance or even a lack of understanding.

It is indiscipline and a stubborn belief that consequences are for “other people.”

Well, to the next person on the road, “other people” is YOU (and I).

We should (and will) never tire of talking about road safety because it is mostly behavioral conduct that brings us the most problems.

The Numbers Behind the Deaths

So, let’s dig up and share some seemingly surreal statistics.

Police data shows that 5,383 people were killed on Ugandan roads in 2025, up from 5,144 in 2024, which averages 15 deaths a day. The report recorded 26,044 crashes in 2025, up from 25,107 in 2024, and serious injuries rose 8.4%, from 17,013 to 18,444. Given our current youth-leaning demographic, many of those who die are very young, usually below 35.

The World Health Organization ranked Uganda among the countries with the highest road death rates, estimated at 29 deaths per 100,000 people. It also estimates that road crashes cost Uganda between 3% and 5% of GDP annually in lost productivity, emergency care, and vehicle damage. Imagine a Uganda where 54% of the people who lose their lives are instead saved!

Where does alcohol come in, you ask?

A Makerere-linked study at Mulago National Referral Hospital tested 330 injured road users with breathalysers. It found that 29.7% had used alcohol before the injury, and that pre-injury alcohol use was associated with higher mortality in the emergency department.

Put plainly, nearly three in ten of the road users on the trauma ward had been drinking, and the drinkers were more than twice as likely to die there.

We, Ugandans, drink heavily.

WHO figures put us at about 12.2 litres of pure alcohol per person annually. We have consistently and proudly held the number one position on the continent.

A country that drinks like that and drives like this will keep filling up mortuaries.

We must raise the alarm.

What Alcohol Does Behind the Wheel

Here is an obvious fact, but we will state it anyway: Alcohol compromises road-use skills and often undermines hazard perception.

This is why we drive faster or are more daring when under the influence. That is not political sloganeering but simply how the drug works. It slows your reaction time, narrows your vision, and weakens your judgment.

The judgment it weakens first is the one telling you you’re okay to drive.

Nobody sits at the bar and sincerely concludes they are impaired and drives their vehicle anyway. We think about it in our drunken state and conclude that we will be fine.

“I’m still kawa.“

My guy, that is the alcohol talking. In fact, that conclusion is itself a symptom of being above the limit and not proof that you are, indeed, kawa.

The Price of Getting Caught

Here are a few things that we would like to emphasize; think of the “convenience” you’re arguing for, then add up the price.

The legal implications: our colleagues who were arrested on October 18 were detained and expected in court the next day.

Depending on the day of the week, the “next day” can take different meanings. Traffic police have also warned that in future operations they may name and shame drivers caught drink-driving.

Your name and picture, on a Monday daily’s front page screaming “City Renown Drunkards,” wouldn’t be a good way to start your week and might also be a step on the path to ending your career.

Needless to state, both the media and the police would be highly motivated in this endeavor.

Meanwhile, remember that whereas the express penalty regulations place the attendant fine for drunk-driving at Shs 200, 000 (with a potential night in the cells), the main Act/Law through which these penalties are provided for places a liability of up to Shs. 6,000,000 or imprisonment of up to three years, or both the fine and the jail time.

In fact, you can plead guilty before a Magistrate on a random Monday morning, and they sentence you to a Shs. 6m fine and a three-year jail sentence.

It is that serious.

The Shs 50,000 Solution

Against all of that, there is a Shs 50k solution.

A ride-hailing app is in your pocket. A special-hire driver is a call away. A sober driver will drive you home for roughly Shs 30,000 to 50,000. There are many people looking for these opportunities.

That amount is less than the cost of the last round you bought. This is common sense, and it’s available to us all, for free.

Weigh Shs 30,000 against Shs. 6 million, a criminal record, a wrecked family, or worse. If you still choose to drive, it is not about affordability but sheer arrogance.

No More Excuses

We have heard all the excuses. “The app was slow.” “The driver was too far.” “It was only two drinks.” “I live nearby.” “I will engage the police”.

Each one blames something else, and every one of them hands responsibility to someone else.

We cannot keep blaming everyone. A young nation, with a median age under 17, cannot afford to bury its future in the name of convenience. We are the educated ones. If we won’t set the standard, who will?

Kawunyemu should not be something we fear because the police are out tonight. It should be unthinkable because we respect our lives, our families, and the strangers who share the road with us.