Kampala to Hoima walk flagged off
Although the sky was overcast, with a slight but constant drizzle going on through the morning, the Joe Walker Foundation team and friends looked ready to tackle to start off the fifth annual road safety walk. The walk which is slated to take six days, was flagged by the Minister of Works and Transport, Gen Katumba Wamala, at Sheraton Hotel on the cold and grey morning on February 28th.
Gen Wamala in his remarks thanked Joe Walker (Joseph Beyanga) for his work and urged him to continue as he pledged the support of the ministry.
“The work you do, even if you save one life, is an impact. You could be saving a doctor, you could be saving a general,” he said, adding, “I would like to thank everyone who has supported this and as a ministry we will continue supporting.”
Wamala also thanked KCCA for clearing the walkways and urged them to ensure the walkways remain that way.
On his part, Joe Walker thanked everyone who was present, letting them know he is always excited and it warms his hear to see them come for the walks. He reminisced on the first day he began the first walk from Kampala to Bushenyi.
“Simon [Kaheru] said the walk to Bush was the inaugural walk. I wondered why he said inaugural. I had not thought that far. But today, we are starting the fifth annual walk,” Joe Walker said.
He also talked about the reason for the walk: “Road crashes are preventable if our roads are safe and forgiving… When we were going to Fort [Portal], a woman I met said, ‘Nowadays I no longer send my kids to the market, because I am not sure if they will come back alive.’ We need to make sure make every journey gets us back home alive.”
Simon Kaheru, the chairperson of the Joe Walker Foundation said he calls Joe Walker the high priest of road safety, which movement will be passed down to generations.
“This call that Joe is advancing is more than walking. It’s calling us to be responsible,” he said.
The walk was flagged off at 7.30am at which point the team started their journey.
During the walk, Joe Walker and friends will highlight the crisis on the roads, at markets, schools, boda-boda stages, and truck stops while encouraging everyone to live longer by travelling safer.
The Kampala-Hoima 2026 walk is supported by Uganda National Oil Company, Pride Bank, Nicole Foundation, Sheraton Hotel Kampala, NBS TV, Sanyuka TV, Bunyoro Kingdom, Safe Way Right Way, Spice FM, and Newmans Snacks.
As the team sets off today, the main message they will share with the various drivers on the road, and every Ugandan who is planning to make a journey is this: “Remember that someone on this road is going home to their family. Drive like that person is yours. Ride like that life matters. Because it does.”
