Why Its Not Safe To Self Drive in Uganda

To drive or to be driven? A self drive safari offers an extra layer of adventure but is it safe for you? Enticing as self drive car rental companies might make it appear, self drive safari is a bad idea for you especially if you are visiting for the first time in Uganda. Here is Why Its Not Safe To Self Drive in Uganda.

Avoid a Self-Drive Safari in Uganda – It is a Bad Idea

Ugandans are generally very hospitable and patient people. They are very tolerant with each other and even do more with strangers to make them feel at home. Sadly those are the best things I can say about Ugandans. We can not use such sweet words when it comes to their on road driving culture. On the road an average Ugandan drives very aggressively and in many cases utterly carelessly. If you can afford it, avoid self driving in Uganda if you really care about your safety. But since we are in the business of offering car rental with a driver you will not believe us unless we give you some solid convincing not so? Well lets dive into reasons Why Its Not Safe To Self Drive in Uganda.

A Person Dies on the Road Every 2 Hours!

Yes more than 14 people die on Ugandan roads as per Police traffic report for 2024. You don’t want to be part of the statistics right? Well that’s not it here is the full picture and why its a bad idea for you to go on a self drive safari.

According to Uganda Police, there were 5,144 deaths on Ugandan roads in 2024. That is quite messy out there if you asked us with pedestrians (1,666), passengers (1,307), cyclists (138), and motorcyclists (1,720) accounting for the majority of deaths. The report further says 17,013 people suffered serious injuries in 2024. Literally speaking, a person gets life threatening injuries on Ugandan roads every 30 minutes!

Police blames the majority of these accidents on careless driving. Its not unusual for drivers to run the lights, over take in blind spots, or motorcyclists driving on the wrong side. Take our word for it when you see the mess you will be happy we told you not to be part of that mess. Allow someone who understands the driving culture here and stay safe. Your safety shouldn’t be seen in terms of a few dollars you might save by self driving.

Uganda Wildlife Authority Advises against Self Drive

Uganda Wildlife Authority, (UWA) is Uganda’s Government agency responsible for the management and protection of Wildlife in and outside protected areas. One of the major mandate by UWA is to promote safe tourism in Uganda. Needless to add is the Authority knows in and out our driving culture and the state of roads to National Game Parks.

Now if the promoter says no to self drive safaris for first time visitors why would you do otherwise? Ok you might love dare games but when it concerns your safety please agree with UWA. The Authority encourages tourists to visit the game parks but advises that its safer for first time visitors to take car rental with a driver to stay safe on their holiday.

Poor Road Conditions You are not Used to.

Back home you have driven in the countryside but we assure you you may not have met roads like you will find here. True all major highways are in good condition. If you are driving in Kampala for example your worry will not be on road condition but the game parks are not in the city. You have to make a long drive to the wilderness and the roads are not forgiving at all.

During sunny season the roads might be rough and when it rains extremely slippery. This is another reason Why Its Not Safe To Self Drive in Uganda. If you are visiting for the first time you most likely will be using GPS to navigate to your destination. Google will not tell you what road to avoid because it rained badly on that route and its slippery.

When you rent a car with a driver a local driver will keep you safe by communicating with fellow drivers coming from where he is going on where to pass safely. You will observe your driver almost waves at every tourist driver you meet. There is a good reason, he is saying if anything is the matter ahead let me know and the other waves on if all is clear.  If you decide to self drive you will not enjoy those warnings so you will be on your own and your google maps!

Aggressive Driving with Many Boda Boda

Like earlier stated patience for Ugandans stops at the car door. Once behind the wheels they are unforgiving. You should literally be doing the thinking for everyone on the road or you will be part of the accident statistics. We are not making this up the statistics shared above vindicate us and Why Its Not Safe To Self Drive in Uganda.

Imagine swamped with cars and motorcycles allover your driving space? That is a regular scene in Ugandan cities! Are you comfortable driving in an area like what’s in the picture above? If you are not than self driving in Uganda might be a bad idea for you!

If you get the misfortune of knocking one motorcyclist, its a nightmare for you especially when you are “white”. Its extortion time and that’s regardless of whether you were in the wrong or not. They just gather around you into a mob and force you to pay them without allowing you go to police. They know they can intimidate you so the will play that card to extort money from you!

More Reasons Why Its Not Safe To Self Drive in Uganda

By now I hope we have made the picture clear for you on why it might not be a good decision to go on a self drive safari in Uganda. But we are not done yet in case you are not yet convinced we are right read on.

Believe The Experts if You don’t Trust Us

Ok its easy not to trust our word and we know why, we are an interested party but International SOS is not! International SOS is a global company that provides medical and travel security risk services to organizations. International SOS has had this to say about self driving in Uganda.

“Its not a wise choice for first time travelers to self drive in Uganda because of its very aggressive driving culture and poor roads”

They emphasize that roads outside of urban centers in Uganda are poorly maintained, and local driving habits increase the risk of road traffic accidents. Additionally, there are minimal assistance options in case of a breakdown, and roads can become impassable due to heavy rains, flooding, and mudslides.

Even if you do not believe us please believe the experts, self drive in Uganda should be your last option unless you are in a hurry to experience an African Accident!

Unexpected Road Blockages

You are probably used to warnings for animal crossing zones. Well you might see some in Uganda BUT its not unusual to encounter animals without warning! Wait, this can even be in Kampala city in the suburbs!

In the parks, you might just encounter a wild animal sleeping in the middle of the road in the game park. We are talking unexpectedly. Are you really ready for that or you want someone who has seen it all before and knows how to prep themselves for such if it does happen?

The Insurance Drama.

Almost all car rental companies have some sort of insurance and to be fair most are comprehensively insured against theft, head on collision and fire. Rightfully put, your rental car is insured but the renter is not. Lets brake this down for you.

In the event of say an accident, your understanding is that insurance will take over and do everything but that’s not the reality. There are exclusions from the policy that you often never get told. If you got an accident and did not get a police letter insurance will not pay a single coin so all costs will be on you.

In a situation where you get a police letter, most self drive companies have a clause in their agreements that require you to tow the car back to their office because insurance assessment is done in Kampala. If you are in a very remote area that alone will bleed your pockets but that is not even the full story.

Insurance companies will pay up to 70% of the assessed damage. Just like a driver who recently acquired a driver permit they blame 30% of the cause of accident on your unfamiliarity to Ugandan roads and driving culture. So the company will demand for up to 30% of the assessed amount which could prove expensive if the 4×4 was still in good condition.

There are other exclusions from the insurance policy that you may not be told before hand. Single motor accidents, rollovers are generally excluded from the policy so in case of such you will be made to pay. This is because these are classified careless driving or over speeding. Also most companies exclude tyre cuts from insurance. These are generally considered careless driving. You should ask your self drive car rental for all exclusions before you take their car.

Delayed Roadside assistance or rescue.

Any car can break down even if they were new. You will be heading to remote countryside with very poor roads. The roads in the parks are generally not paved and sometimes the tracks are not smooth so you could pick up a mechanical issue and need assistance.

If you read your contract well your car rental company asks for up to 72 hours to fix the problem. To be fair if you are dealing with a good company they never take all that time depending on the nature of fault. You could be rescued in minutes but it could even be several hours. This is time you had not planned so you will miss your activities and there no refunds if you miss!

Selective Traffic Law Enforcement

Uganda has some of the best traffic laws but they are not enforced to the letter. There may motorcycles in the town centers and they hardly keep any traffic laws. Huge vehicles like buses and trailers also have a tendency of not keeping laws often over taking in black spots which puts other road users in danger even if you were driving well.

Government vehicles are another risk factors. These can drive very  fast and in some cases on the shoulders or completely on the wrong side of the road. With a corrupt traffic police even non government sometimes drive on the wrong side while police looks on.

Parting Shots

While self drive opens another door to a different type of adventure, you should carefully think if you are really ready for the potential out comes. There are certainly many great car rental companied in Uganda but some bad apples spoil our industry. Ask as many question so you are clear about what you are entering into.

Always keep evidence of all responses you get from your car rental company in case they try to shift goal posts. But if you are not ready for that drama, simply rent a car with a driver. When you rent a car with a driver all the headache is on the driver and their employer. Yours is to sit and enjoy your travel.

If you would like to reserve a car with a driver from us we are more than glad to serve you. Simply call or WhatsApp us on +256702525877. You can also email ask@carrentwithdriveruganda.com