After months of public backlash, the government is now walking back on the controversial traffic laws that were introduced earlier and motorists might finally breathe a little after the Ministry of Works and Transport has proposed major changes to the suspended regulations.
First things first the pressure of paying fines in just 72 hours could be gone Under the new proposals, motorists will get 28 days to clear Express Penalty Scheme (EPS) tickets, instead of the previous three-day deadline that left many frustrated.
And if you feel unfairly fined? There’s room to fight back as drivers will be allowed to appeal within 7 days, with authorities expected to review the case within that same 28-day window. Even late appeals may still be considered as long as it’s within the 28 days.
But if you delay and lose the appeal after the deadline, you’ll still face a surcharge.
Speed Limits Adjusted
One of the biggest talking points is speed as earlier law had reduced speed limits in urban areas to 30km/h, something many drivers said was unrealistic.
Now, government is proposing:
- 30km/h only in special zones (schools, markets, hospitals, residential access roads)
- 50km/h restored for normal urban roads
And there’s a small relief margin too as drivers won’t be fined if they exceed the limit by up to 10%.
(Meaning if the limit is 50km/h, you’re safe up to about 55km/h.)
Fines Slashed
Previously, speeding fines could go as high as Shs600,000, depending on how much you exceeded the limit and now the proposal is to standardize the fine at Shs200,000, regardless of the level of speeding.
Who Pays the Fine? Still a Big Debate
This is where things are still heated as with the old system fined the registered vehicle owner, not the driver which caused chaos, especially for cars under loans, companies, and taxi operators.
Now, government wants to introduce a “registered keeper” system, where responsibility can be assigned to whoever is using the car.
But transport operators are not buying it.
