Uganda is a place of wonder and discovery. It is possible to find many places to drive and discover the delights of this East African paradise. Though moving around on Roads in Uganda in a car on either selfdrive or with a driver draws you closer to a lot of adventure, it should be something to do with care.
It is possible to find many places to drive and discover the delights of this East African paradise. However, reaching some of these places can get tricky in case you didn’t take time to know about the nature of the roads in the places you are to visit.
Uganda has a road network of more than 130,000km both paved and unpaved. Of these, most of these are unpaved and can be regarded as poor or badly maintained. From the data collected by the Ministry of works and Transport of Uganda by the year pf 2017, only 4% (about 5,300km) are tarmac. The rest are paved and unpaved marrum most especially the feeder roads.
Driving in Kampala & Other Urban Centers
Driving in Urban centers such as Kampala can only be smooth on days with less traffic. Though most of the roads in such areas are paved and well maintained, driving here can get annoying most especially once you are in hurry due to the extremely slow traffic in normal days. However in Kampala, you can alternative bypass routes such as the Entebbe Expressway and the Northern by pass to cut off traffic if you don’t have much you need in the middle of the Capital.
While driving in such areas, remember to lock the doors of the car and keep the windows up to reduce chances of your property such as gadgets and small bags being subject to street grabbers (theives).
The recommended speed limits through developed areas even on those you may find on the highways is 40km/hr maximum.
Driving on Highways
Highways in Uganda are the easiest routes to navigate but as on other roads, caution has to be taken. Standard speed limits are 80km/hr and driving past this can subject you to fines from the Traffic Police. Taking over in unclear conditions is not recommended as it subjects your life to hands of other drivers that do not follow traffic rules common on such roads most especially the Taxi (commuter van) drivers.
On highways like Masaka road, take advantage of the several climbing lanes on the route for taking over and some narrow roads such as Kampala – FortPortal, keep the speeds normal and only takeover when it is allowed.
Driving through the Sharp Bends of Kisoro
Areas such as Kisoro and Kabale have dangerously curved roads rotating up the hills. This is due to the hilly nature of the region and therefore it would require an extra level of patience and determination to navigate them with ease. Such roads come with a blind turn and the best way to safely navigate it is only to take it slow of-course without forgetting to obey the speed limit allowances indicated.
Blind curves have to be approached with caution as you stick to to the left edge as closely as possible as you keep alert for vehicles coming the other way since you never know who won’t be paying attention or coming over the line.
Driving on Unpaved Roads
Whenever you are driving in Uganda and branch off the main highway, expect to find a road in unpredicted condition and hard to drive. Driving on bad or poorly maintained roads can be very dangerous, and it often takes a higher level of awareness and caution in order to stay safe. This can be witnessed in North Eastern parts of Uganda around Kidepo National park where you would need a good 4wd vehicle and some times a ranger to guide you through driving in the region once you are there for tour purposes.
Some parts of the country are wetter than others most especially those around tropical rainforests and wet sides of the mountains such as areas around Mbale (Mountin Elgon in the East, Bwindi Forest in the South West). Roads in such areas can be difficult to manuever in occurence of much rains as they get muddy and slippery. In dry seasons, they are left with gulleys and potholes and well as untimely bumps.
Some roads such as in Murchison Falls National park have sharp slanting edges that can be handled with care in occurences of overtaking even in moderate speeds. Such edges subject the vehicle to less stability on the road causing skidding during high speeds that can lead to nasty single accidents such as rollovers due to loss of control of the vehicle.
Therefore, driving on unpaved roads might require you Use a 4WD Vehicle a good AWD or 4WD vehicle to take you through some poor roads despite the experience you have, keeping the speeds low to prevent occasions of the vehicle slipping or skidding, moving with with Emergency Tools since emergency breakdowns such as flat tyres & underbody damages can come up more often with bad roads and lastly, try following tracks left behind by other car tires before you as it can be highly effective by helping you identify the best parts of a bad road and make you enjoy a much smoother journey.
