Road safety; responsibility of all
Patrick Kamara hosts road safety advocate, Mr. Joseph Beyanga commonly known as Joe Walker, and Mr. Sam Bambaza from Hope for Victims of Traffic Accidents on KFM HotSeat show to discuss road safety. Listen to the full episode below; ...
Day Four: Curious case of Joe walker
Today I missed my training. No I am not the lazy type. I just felt low on energy and actually fought so hard to leave my training kit behind when I left home in the morning. Look, I didn’t sleep well, been battling what Dr. Kasenene calls Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and my body has been working overtime to cleanse itself for the last four days. I the ought pushing it for a hard training day wouldn’t be a wise move. So I visited the good doctor and on top of many things, we had a look at my numbers and also worked...
Day Two: Power of friendship, synergies and collaboration
My training plan has a 16.8km walk on certain days. So on one of those days, feeling geared and pumped up, I stepped out of Sheraton Gym literally floating in space and pursing my personal best over a 16km distance. A kilometre into my walk, I bumped into Counsel Isaac Mpanga, a man double my body size but high on triple inspiration and drive to get fitter, than teenagers. It was my first physical meeting with Isaac, we normally meet and chat on the social media streets but now here we were. I decided to drop my ambition, and he...
Day One: Gym exercises double
My athletics trainer handed me the 4-week training plan to get me ready for the Kampala-Mbale road safety walk. I shared a copy with my gym trainer Ken, who’s responsible for the aerobics part of the plan. Ken, the head of the Fitness at Sheraton Hotel has been helping me to get in shape. Very friendly. But now with a fixed training plan, the tone has changed. He assigned all his other responsibilities to other trainers and focused on me. My normal workout was tripled, okay it felt like that. Dude worked me and gave me tasks which I thought were...
Preparation for the Kampala to Mbale road safety walk starts
This week is the start of a hard, hectic, nerve-wrecking four weeks ahead of the #JoeWalker Kampala-to-Mbale road safety walk #TooYoungToDie. Why? On Monday I started on the physical preparation; this comes with a detailed training program that includes cross-training, simulated walks, hill repeats, tempo walks and much more. From my experience of the Kampala-to-Bushenyi walk, when you prepare the body very well, you will have a better and more enjoyable walking experience. I enjoyed the adrenaline-drenched Bushenyi walk and I am looking for a better experience on the purpose-driven Kampala-to-Mbale road safety walk. The route planner says the terrain to Mbale looks...
How we endured afternoon heat to walk 25kms
In our effort to curb the increasing road crashes in Uganda, we (Joe Walker and friends) hit the road on December 8, 2022, to raise more awareness about the same. Led by Mr. Joseph ‘Joe Walker’ Beyanga, we walked 25kms on the Northern Bypass in the hard-hitting sunshine. Our walk was one of the many activities undertaken by Ugandans during the year’s Road Safety Awareness Week ahead of the festive season. Our passion to spread the gospel about the increasing number of road accidents and how to avoid them enabled us to walk from Watoto Church in Ntinda to Namboole stadium before...
The man taking on Uganda’s dangerous roads
By BBC When former journalist, Joseph Bayanga, witnessed the death of three generations of a family on a Kampala road - a mother, daughter and grandchild – he decided enough was enough. More people die on Uganda’s roads – 14 every day – than anywhere else in East Africa. Kampala’s Mulago National Referral Hospital even has a special ward just for the drivers of boda bodas who account for the highest number of deaths. Boda bodas are the motorbike taxis which weave precariously through the traffic at every junction with one, two or even three passengers on their backs. So Joe...
Taking care of your body
By Joe Walker When planning to do long distance walks, it is important that you prepare yourself for it. Without proper preparation, the body will struggle. The Kampala to Bushenyi walk proved that to me. It was a walk to save lives and we therefore couldn’t afford to lose any! Our bodies were the major weapons we had, so we had to take good care of them and make sure we arrive alive and healthy. Months before the walk started, I visited the famous nutritionist Dr. Paul Kasenene to assess my body and guide on the appropriate foods to give me...
Choose your walking kit carefully
By Joe Walker Many have been asking how I ensured comfort and minimised risk of injuries all through the 340km Kampala to Bushenyi road safety walk. I think apart from good physical preparation, the other secret lies with the choice of tools aka weapons I invested in for the walk. As Benjamin Franklin said, “The best investment is in tools of one’s trade.” From the moment I shared my intentions for the Kampala to Bushenyi road safety walk, concerned friends, experienced runners, marathoners and ultra-runners all asked me about the kit. What shoes are you using? What are you putting on? The socks?...
Seven lessons from the Kampala 7 Hills 45km walk
By Joe Walker On Saturday, I had the pleasure to do a Kampala Seven Hills 45km walk with the ‘Crazy Summiters’. This awesome eight-hour walk covered some of the traditional hills of Kampala including Mengo, Rubaga, Namirembe, Makerere, Kololo, Nakasero, and much more. I set out with a childlike open heart and came back a rich man with life valuable lessons. Follow me step by step Take up every opportunity to challenge yourself and take your craft to another level. When a friend told me of a Seven Hills 45km walk, I thought about joining them and was excited but also a little scared and...