Kampala to Mbale walk: What we saw, heard and how to make our roads safer
The #JoeWalker Kampala to Mbale trek was a different challenge from what we had done earlier. It was a shorter route, but a rough road for half the journey, and had more reckless drivers and harsher weather conditions. It also had however, rich and insightful engagements. Pedestrians As we streamed out of Nakawa eastwards, we were embarking on a rough unfriendly road that would be our cup of tea for the next 125km till we got to Tirinyi Road. With more people walking than cars on the road, the experience of a pedestrian on most of our roads is still a nightmare....
Day Two: Memories of the past informing what we need for the future
It threatened to be a long and brutal journey today with 45km plus to cover in such a short time. So we set off very early. By 5.55am we were out of the door and on the road. Our first brief stop-off for a cup of tea to warm us up was at Bannz Café where we met several people, including escorts of VIPs who said they were following the walk keenly. It made me hope that people are picking the message on road safety. Before we got there however, what struck me was seeing many parents along taking their children...
DAY ONE: High Energy and awesome time management
It was 5:15pm when we were done and docked at Namataba for the night. The weather was good and made it tempting to roll on but it would be suicide. Our advance team wouldn’t be able to find suitable and affordable accommodation 10km ahead and neither could we risk walking into the deep of the night through Mabira forest. The day started with awesomeness, something very rare of our government officials. At exactly 6:00am, the Deputy Speaker’s advance team was at the Independence Monument, the venue for the flag-off. At 6:15am, they announced that Rt. Hon. Tayebwa would be with us...
Joe Walker, friends kick off Kampala-Mbale trek
Road safety advocate Joseph Beyanga commonly known as Joe Walker, together with friends on Monday morning, kicked off the Kampala to Mbale road safety awareness trek under the theme “Too Young to Die”. The long-awaited walk was flagged off by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa in a function held at the Independence Monument in Kampala. While addressing the press before flagging Beyanga, Tayebwa lauded the group for keeping time before urging Ugandan drivers to be cautious on the road. Joe Walker and friends arrived at the monument at 6am ahead of the official flag-off at 6:30am. “I think one of the...
Deputy Speaker Tayebwa to flag off Kampala-Mbale walk
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa will on Monday, February 6, 2023, flag off the Kampala-Mbale road safety awareness walk at the Independence Monument in Kampala. Under the theme “Joe Walker and Friends – Too Young To Die”, the walk is spearheaded by Joseph Beyanga commonly known as Joe Walker, the Head of Radio at Nation Media Group – Uganda and Secretary-General, National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). We believe the walk is more than just a walk due to the pool of activities lined up including road user sensitization and road safety education and awareness through, community interactions, school visits, media...
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...
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...
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?...