Ugandan Members of Parliament are pushing for the establishment of fire brigade units at regional police stations across the country, aiming to prevent property destruction and loss of life in fire incidents.
This call to action follows a tragic accident on October 22, 2024, in Kigogwa town along the Kampala-Gulu highway, where a fuel tanker overturned, sparking a fire that claimed 15 lives and destroyed nearby property.
Hon. Betty Ethel Naluyima (NUP, Wakiso District Woman Representative) stressed that having fire brigade stations dispersed across the country could have mitigated the devastating impact of the fire. “My prayer is that we have fire brigades at different points countrywide because we cannot keep relying on the Kampala station. The one and a half hours it took Police to negotiate their way to the scene would have saved a lot if it was closer,” she said during a plenary sitting on October 23, 2024.
Naluyima also called for ongoing public education on handling road accidents involving fuel trucks, noting that some lives could have been saved if people had not rushed to siphon fuel from the tanker.
Speaker of Parliament Anita Among echoed the need for public awareness, referencing past incidents, including fires in Namungoona in 2021 and Rubirizi in 2019, underscoring the dangers of siphoning fuel.
Further, Hon. Paulson Luttamaguzi (DP, Nakaseke South County) urged Parliament to allocate budget resources to equip every regional police station with fire brigade vehicles, saying, “Our time of lamentation is over; we are Members of Parliament, and we can do that.”
Hon. Jonathan Odur (UPC, Erute County South) recommended re-inspections of all fuel tankers to ensure they meet safety standards, as many are repurposed for fuel transport without proper modifications.
Bukoto County East MP, Hon. Evans Kanyike, urged government agencies to enforce the Presidential directive banning fuel trucks from traveling through Kampala Metropolitan Area during daytime.
In response to these concerns, Government Chief Whip Hon. Denis Hamson Obua committed to tasking relevant ministries—including the Ministry of Works and Transport, the Ministry of Energy, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs—to investigate the accident and present a report on safety measures to prevent similar occurrences.
