Nile Breweries, Next Media Renew Road Safety Push with Focus on Boda Boda Riders

September 18, 2026 in by Editor

Nile Breweries and Next Media renew the Linnya Step road safety campaign, targeting boda boda crashes, helmet use and responsible riding.

  

Nile Breweries Limited has renewed its partnership with Next Media’s Sanyuka TV and Beat FM to expand a national road safety campaign targeting motorcycle-related deaths and injuries, placing greater emphasis on helmet use, responsible riding and measurable changes in road-user behaviour.

Launched in Kampala on September 16 under the banner ‘Linnya Step with Safety’, the initiative builds on a partnership established in 2024 and seeks to extend road safety awareness among boda boda riders, passengers and other road users.

The campaign comes amid persistent road safety concerns in Uganda, where motorcycles account for a substantial share of reported road deaths and serious injuries. It combines public messaging with efforts to improve access to certified passenger helmets and promote safer choices on the road.

The campaign also provides Nile Breweries’ a platform to advance its responsible consumption agenda, particularly its message that alcohol consumption and driving or riding should not be combined.

 

The campaign’s focus on behaviour reflects a recognition that road safety messaging must translate into everyday practices, including consistent helmet use, compliance with traffic regulations and responsible speed management.

It will address speeding, overloading, unsafe passenger behaviour and riding or driving under the influence of alcohol, while encouraging riders and passengers to take greater responsibility for their safety.

According to the figures cited at the launch, Uganda records more than 5,300 road deaths annually, equivalent to approximately 15 lives a day. Motorcyclists account for an estimated 45 per cent of road deaths, while pedestrians represent about 37 per cent.

The 2024 Kampala City Road Safety Annual Report, also cited by the campaign organisers, indicates that motorcycles were involved in nearly 49 per cent of road traffic deaths in the capital. Serious road traffic injuries reportedly increased by 12 per cent between 2023 and 2024, with motorcycles involved in 59 per cent of those cases.

Passenger helmet use remains a particular concern. The cited figures put usage at approximately two per cent among passengers, compared with 49 per cent among riders.

The campaign plans to distribute certified passenger helmets while reinforcing the importance of their correct and consistent use.

Nile Breweries Managing Director Nkanyiso Mncwabe, said the initiative was linked to the company’s commitment to responsible consumption and community wellbeing.

“Every life lost or permanently affected by a road crash represents a family, a livelihood and a future disrupted,” Mncwabe said.

He added that the company would work with riders, passengers and communities to encourage decisions that make Uganda’s roads safer.

The emphasis on sustained engagement is central to the campaign’s approach.

Mable Tomusange, Managing Consultant at Consult Afrika Usalama, said awareness alone was insufficient to deliver lasting road safety improvements.

“Awareness is important, but behaviour change is a process,” Tomusange said, calling for interventions that help road users translate knowledge into practical action and develop safer habits.

Her comments place the initiative within a broader challenge facing road safety programmes –  converting public awareness into consistent compliance, particularly among road users exposed to daily traffic risks.

The campaign will use the media platforms of Sanyuka TV and Beat FM to maintain public engagement and communicate messages about helmets, passenger safety and responsible riding.

Peter Mungoma, CEO of Beat FM, said the media’s role was to help road users understand risks and make safer decisions.

“Linnya Step with Safety lets the media measure what matters: more helmets on heads, fewer crashes on the road, and safer choices from riders and passengers alike,” Mungoma said.

The initiative also received parliamentary backing from Nathan Byanyima, a Member of Parliament, who pledged to take its road safety message to Parliament.

For Nile Breweries, the campaign forms part of a wider road safety programme associated with its parent company, AB InBev.

The global brewer’s Road Safety Program brings together data, technical expertise and partnerships with governments and other stakeholders, with the prevention of drink-driving identified as a central priority.

That focus gives the Ugandan campaign a dual emphasis of improving road-user safety while reinforcing responsible alcohol consumption.

Nile Breweries has previously supported road safety interventions in Uganda, including the Ondaba Road Safety Campaign in 2022, which trained boda boda riders in first aid and safer riding practices.

The company said the original Linnya Step campaign received the “Find a Way” Award from the International Road Federation, providing a basis for expanding the initiative and strengthening its emphasis on measurable behaviour change and community participation.

The renewed campaign calls on government agencies, boda boda associations, private-sector organisations, passengers and the wider public to participate in efforts to reduce preventable deaths and injuries.

Mncwabe said safer roads required individual responsibility in addition to institutional action.

“No journey or destination is worth risking your life or the lives of others,” he said.

The campaign’s immediate activities will centre on awareness, helmet distribution and community engagement. Its broader significance will be measured by whether these interventions contribute to sustained improvements in helmet compliance, safer riding practices and reduced exposure to road crash risks.