Day 9: Joe Walker, friends reach Fort Portal
The #JoeWalker Kampala to Fort Portal road safety awareness walk has safely docked in Fort Portal. We walked through the districts of Kampala, Wakiso, Mpigi, Mityana, Mubende, Kyegegwa, Kyenjojo and finally Kabarole. We set off this morning from King Oyo Model Farm in Bugaaki and at 10:25pm crossed into Kabarole District. By 3pm we were in Fort Portal City, the seat of Tooro Kingdom. We were joined by students, leaders and administrators from Uganda Pentecostal University at Kaswa, who also brought us tonnes of refreshments. As we emerged out of Mpanga Tea Estates, we were joined by the DPC of Fort Portal...
Day Eight: We’re almost there
The #JoeWalker team lifted off from Kiregesa Primary School where we camped for the night and we are now in Mahagwe, hopefully our last resting point before we dock at our destination. From Kiregesa as you descend down into the valley, you can’t avoid seeing the dangerous sharp corner and what looks like a bit of narrow road. Locals and doctors at Kyenjojo District hospital say many have lost their lives there. We trudged into Kyenjojo town, where we were welcomed by S3 students of Kyenjojo SS (they all reminded me of our daughter who is also in S3.) And we proceeded...
Day Seven: Joe Walker celebrates birthday, highlights road safety concerns
By Joe Walker Guys it’s day seven of the #JoeWalker Kampala to Fort Portal road safety awareness walk. We set off from Kyegegwa at 6:50am, and at 7:18pm, we were at our campsite, 47km from the start. The actual distance is 45km but I added an extra 2 special kilometers to make 47 to celebrate my 47th birthday. One of the things that stands out today on our Kyegegwa to Kiregesa walk is that drivers have made that Miryante stretch a black spot that needs serious attention because of the speeding, racing and reckless overtaking. The road markings have long faded, the signage...
Day Six: Joe Walker enters Tooro Kingdom
By Joe Walker It’s been one rollercoaster of a day. We entered Tooro Kingdom shortly after 11am. We were welcomed by Minister of Education in Tooro Kingdom Owek. Godfrey Rwembebera Adyeeri and other kingdom officials, plus the Kyegegwa OC Traffic Afande Kwasibwe. We were in Kyegegwa by 5pm. After all the protocols and mobilisation of logistics were done, at about 6pm we started painting the Zebra crossing. By 8pm, Kyegegwa had its only Zebra crossing; hopefully it will change the narrative around road safety. We had great support from Tooro Kingdom, Deputy Town Clerk Douglas Mugenyi, and the OC Traffic Police Kyegegwa and his...
Day Five: Joe Walker, friends reach Mubende
By Joe Walker With our eyes set on scaling 15km from Kyenda to Mubende before 9am, #JoeWalker Kampala to Fort Portal road safety awareness walk crew rolled the engines and hit the road at cruise control, at 6am. As the clouds started peeling off the skies for the sun to rise, we were halfway through our trek and Mubende right now is under our feet. We were set for engagements with boda boda riders, roadside market vendors, and then the municipality leaders. Our first stop today was in Mubende Municipality. Our first engagement was with the Market Vendors Association. Oh boy, it...
Day Four: No money is worth risking your life
By Joe Walker What a beautiful start to day four of the #JoeWalker Kampala to Fort Portal road safety awareness walk. We kicked off the day with an interactive session with the pupils of Kyakatebe Primary School. We taught the children the ABCs of road safety and armed them with a few tips to cross the roads safely and #GetHomeSafe. At 7:57am, it was our turn to put those tips into action as we hit the road heading towards Mubende. The first thing that hit me was the writing on a truck, “No Money is Enough”. It stayed with me as we...
A dive into day 3 of Kampala – Fort Portal trek
By Joe Walker Day three of the #JoeWalker Kampala to Fort Portal road safety awareness walk lifted off at Mityana at 7:26am where we headed to Kyakatebe. The weather has been merciful to us and so far every day, there has been some light rain which provides a good environment to walk in. We have so far been saved the heat that threatened to be present. We zoomed out of Mityana town to Naama. The road under construction is interesting; very wide with a fast double lane in the middle and two side lanes to serve town traffic, cyclists and pedestrians....
Day Two: The daily struggle of pedestrians on Ugandan roads
By Joe Walker We set off from Bujjuko at exactly 7am, and walked the ups and downs and corners of Jeeza in the morning drizzle till 9am or thereabouts. All through the rain I couldn’t help but keep wondering and praying about crazy drivers speeding on wet roads, overtaking in corners with compromised visibility, the boda bodas carrying three children on one bike going to school and young ones braving the rain, walking to school. Just like it is in Mengo, Wakaligga, Nateete, Busega, Bulenga, Buloba, and Buyala, so it is in Bujjuko and Mityana; there are no pedestrian walkways and even those...
Joe Walker, friends take on 300km challenge to Fort Portal
By David Mujuni In the wee hours of Monday morning, Joe Walker and his fellow trekkers gathered at the Independence Monument in Kampala to take on yet another challenge. Despite the chill brought by the previous night's rain, the group were united by a common goal: spreading road safety awareness in Uganda. The walkers began arriving as early as 6am, determined to conquer over 300 kilometres in their road safety awareness drive that is expected to last for 9 days. The arrival of the chief guest, Transport and Works Minister Gen Katumba Wamala, further bolstered the group's spirit. In his address, Gen Katumba...
Joe Walker: Why I’m trekking to Fort Portal
By David Mujuni After successfully completing two national walks from Kampala to Bushenyi and Mbale in 2022 and 2023 respectively, Joe Walker will embark on his third trek on February 26, 2024. This time, he sets his sights on Fort Portal Tourism City in Western Uganda, leading fellow walking enthusiasts on a 310-kilometer journey to raise awareness about road safety. While raising awareness remains the core purpose, his choice of Fort Portal this year holds deeper meaning. Joe Walker whose official name is Joseph Beyanga recognizes the Kampala-Fort Portal highway's significance in the national road network, highlighting Tooro Kingdom’s scenic beauty as...