By Our Reporter
Police in Mt. Moroto will no longer rely on their own sense of smell to detect drivers driving under the influence of alcohol after get a breathalyzer from the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Mike Longole, the Mt. Moroto Regional Police Spokesperson said that this is part of the nationwide efforts by Uganda Police Force to curb road carnage caused by the effect of alcohol on the person behind the steering wheel.
Longole said initially they used to struggle a lot to detect people who drive under the influence of alcohol, as some of them pretended to be sober.
“The breathalyzer is a welcome relief to the police who always have to rely on their own sense of smell to arrest drunk drivers who may rightly argue that they are sober but are diabetic”, he explained.
With the breathalyzer now in place, Longole said the drivers will be stopped at security checkpoints and roadblocks, where they will be checked before proceeding with their journey.
He noted that by identifying and removing drunk drivers from the roads, they aim to reduce the number of accidents and save lives.
”The breathalyzer machine will be used to enforce traffic laws and regulations, particularly those related to drunk driving”, Longole stressed.
He expressed his gratitude, noting that this is a time when they will be targeting errant drivers who have been causing accidents due to driving under the influence of alcohol.
Saphan Nsiime, the regional traffic officer for the Mt Moroto region, said that their officers have already been trained on how to operate the machines.
Nsiime cautioned drivers against drinking alcohol and driving, stating that the law is there to deal with those who break the rules.
In 2025, driving under the influence of alcohol remains a significant contributor to fatal road accidents in Uganda, with police reporting numerous, often fatal, crashes throughout the year.
Notable incidents included a June 2025, crash in Buyende District that killed five people and widespread incidents during festive periods.
Uganda registers some 20,000 road accidents nationwide each year, causing more than 2,000 deaths, according to police data.
According to the country’s laws, a convicted drunk driver is liable to a fine of up to 1,600 U.S. dollars or a jail term of up to three years.
