Greening of road transport in Uganda : a case of Kampala

Abstract

With the increasing urbanization in Kampala, Uganda, there is a likely increase in demand for vehicles leading to increased air pollution in the city. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate the level of pollution from road transport in Kampala city and provide management options to greening road transport in Kampala. The research examined the impact of these emissions on human health and the environment and how greening the road transport sector might provide a solution to the adverse effects by adopting a case study survey design to help evaluate the level of pollution from road transport and its impact in Kampala city and provide management options to greening road transport in Kampala. Dual purpose vehicles which are constructed or adapted for the carriage both of passengers and of goods and designed to weigh no more than 2,040 kg were discovered to be the highest petrol engine polluters; approximately 90% of the diesel engine vehicles passed the road worthiness test for smoke emissions in Kampala. The results indicate that almost all the road users perceive the quality of air in their community (Kampala) to be low because of vehicular emissions with a high severity of the emissions regarding human health. Based on the findings, this study proposed management strategies in the transport sector to reduce on air pollution through greening road transport in Kampala which included enforcing of emission standards and regulations, access to mass transport, promote walking and cycling and reducing dependence on fossil fuels and introduce cleaner fuels among others.