State House and the Uganda Police have dismissed allegations that President Yoweri Museveni was responsible for the severe traffic congestion that paralysed parts of Mpigi District along the Kampala–Masaka highway. Authorities say the jam was the result of multiple factors, including high traffic volume, road indiscipline, and accidents.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Presidential Press Unit described as “false and misleading” claims attributing the overnight gridlock to the President’s convoy. The statement emphasised that road closures during presidential movements are typically limited and carefully coordinated to minimise disruption.
State House pointed to additional causes, such as heavy end-of-month traffic from motorists returning upcountry for the festive season, drivers creating illegal lanes, and a downpour that reduced visibility and forced temporary stops.
“It is therefore incorrect to politicise and wrongly attribute this unfortunate event,” the statement read, urging the public to consider the full context and exercise patience during periods of heavy traffic and adverse weather. The statement further noted that similar overnight delays had occurred around the same period last year, even without presidential campaigns along the route.
Uganda Traffic Police spokesperson Michael Kanaura also refuted claims linking the congestion to the President. He explained that the gridlock was triggered by motorists travelling in large numbers from Masaka to Kampala, worsened by road indiscipline that blocked traffic in the opposite direction.
Kanaura added that a crash between a truck and a lorry at Lungala, along with a broken-down trailer in the Kamengo area, temporarily blocked the road. Traffic officers eventually restored order and movement resumed.
The traffic jam, which lasted over 15 hours, left thousands of travellers stranded overnight, drawing sharp reactions on social media. Some motorists blamed political activities, while opposition MP Joseph Ssewungu cited long-standing infrastructure failures.
Despite public frustration, authorities insist that blaming President Museveni is inaccurate and have called on motorists to follow traffic rules and exercise patience to avoid similar incidents in the future.
