Day Seven: A moment with road crash victims, boda riders
By Joe Walker Wow! The day started so bright and early. As always, we were out of where we slept at 5.30am, in this case, Kigumba. Our first stop was at Kiryadongo, where we had an interaction with boda boda riders and later visited Kiryadongo Hospital, where we had a moment to share with victims of road crashes. If you have not been in such a situation and you visit that world, where people have suffered road crashes, you would think twice about the way you drive. Several of them have been stuck in the hospital for days with nobody to take...
Day Six: It was hard, but beautiful
By Joe Walker Today’s episode of #JoeWalker Kampala to Gulu road safety awareness walk was hard but beautiful. The body struggled to get up, and the last few kilometres to Kigumba (today’s rest point) were a drag. The legs felt heavy. But what a beautiful start! My best friend Ethan Musolini threw us a surprise…he joined us on the road straight from Kampala as early as 6am. He left Kampala at 3am. We enjoyed watching the brilliant sunrise over River Kafu, had a crazy photo shoot, and off we continued on our trek towards Kigumba. [caption id="attachment_17803" align="alignnone" width="1024"] My best friend Ethan Musolini...
Day Five: Let’s do the right thing
Migyera town never sleeps; loud music and prayers blared on all night long on Thursday night. As we set out at 5:45am on day five of #JoeWalker Kampala to Gulu road safety awareness walk, Migyera was still happening. The power blackout had nothing on them. I wonder if the party was because of the numerous truck trailers parked on both sides of the road. Fitted with our headlights, and powered up by the early morning cool breeze, Migyera town was soon in our past. Unlike all the previous towns, we met very few school children. But consistent with other towns, many...
Day four: An unfriendly stretch for pedestrians
The #JoeWalker Kampala to Gulu road safety walk kicked off at 6:15am at Nakasongola and we are now docked in Migyera for the day. This is an interesting stretch so far. There is very light human traffic, lots of speeding vehicles, and animals crossing the road. It’s a bit unfriendly for pedestrians. Whether the road speed signs reads 50 or 80, the cars just fly past at insane speeds. One traffic officer Afande Baluku said he has even stopped someone who was flying at 160km/hr and her argument was that there were no people near the road, so what was the big...
Day three: Slow down
The #JoeWalker Kampala to Gulu road safety walk today took us from Katikamu to Nakasongola. We saw a beautiful sunrise, speeding vehicles, narrow roads, very unhappy but cheerful boda boda riders and of course, faced the scorching heat. We kicked off at 5:45am and traversed through a long endless straight road. As soon as you join the main road, what hits you first is the fast-moving vehicles, private SUVs, heavy trucks, buses and even motorcycles. Everyone is flying, given its early hours with no traffic police on the road. Yeah, you can imagine what that is like. Crazy. Total disregard of...
Day Two: Wobulenzi-Luwero stretch, a disaster waiting to happen
The stretch between Wobulenzi and Luwero is a big disaster waiting to happen: too many schools, many speeding cars, poorly marked roads, no speed barriers, boda bodas loaded with children being dropped off at different schools, many children in different shades of uniform walking in different directions and numerous “traffic wardens” helping them cross the road at different points. That’s the scene that opened the chapter of #JoeWalker Kampala to Gulu road safety awareness walk. After a brief introduction to the heat on day one, we purposed to hit the road early today and be off the road before the sun unleashed...
Day One of Kampala-Gulu Road Safety Walk
Day one of the Kampala to Gulu #JoeWalker road safety walk kicked off at 6:38 am with State Minister for Transport Hon. Fred Byamukama handing us the National flag at Sheraton Hotel. [caption id="attachment_17746" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Joe Walker with State Minister for Transport Hon. Fred Byamukama and MD of Jubilee Allianz Paul Kavuma[/caption] The first thing we saw as soon as we started off was school children cris-crossing Kampala roads to get to school with boda bodas riding in all directions including in opposite directions of one-way roads. They were also carrying school children and in some cases adults too. At the...
Joe Walker launches Kampala-Gulu Walk for safer roads
BY GLORIA IRANKUNDA Over the past few years, Joe Walker aka Joseph Beyanga has become a familiar sight on Ugandan roads, walking long distances to spark conversations about road safety. On February 24, 2025, he and his team will continue on that path by setting off on a 10-day journey from Kampala to Gulu. The walk under the theme "Safe Roads Save Lives" will begin at the Independence Monument in Kampala where Minister of Works and Transport, Gen. Katumba Wamala will flag off the participants at 6a.m. Joe Walker and his team will pass through several towns, engaging communities in discussions about safer road...
The Remembrance walk for me was personal – Ponton
BY GLORIA IRANKUNDA When Alex Ponton arrived in Uganda a decade ago, he likely did not imagine himself walking 51 kilometers in a single day. Known for his entrepreneurial ventures and investments, Ponton had been, like most residents, navigating Uganda’s challenging roadways. This shared experience sparked his interest in the 2024 Joe Walker Remembrance Relay Walk. “I have been in Uganda for ten years now, and I have seen firsthand how road safety is a major issue,” Ponton shares. Participating in the walk was personal. He wanted to do something to raise awareness and contribute to the cause. “About seven or eight years ago,...
How teamwork led Trailblazers to victory
BY GLORIA IRANKUNDA Mark Kakuru Tushabe, a 21-year-old student at YMCA Comprehensive Institute, never anticipated that a simple decision would lead to a memorable experience. As part of the University Fitness Club's regular runners and marathoners, Tushabe and his teammates were used to physical challenges. When the 2024 Joe Walker Remembrance Walk was announced, they saw it as a perfect opportunity to compete as a team. After gathering a group of willing participants, the team quickly realised choosing a name was just as important as the walk itself. "We had a vote, and names like Walkaholics and Trailblazers came up," Tushabe recalls....