Swiss company Societe Generale De Surveillance (SGS) has opened its seventh vehicle inspection station in Uganda and it is located in Namanve, an industrial area about 15 kilometers from downtown Kampala.
According to Christophe Dubois, the country manager-SGS, the station will be used to inspect all types of vehicles.
In March 2015, Uganda’s Ministry of Works and Transport awarded SGS an exclusive contract to carry out vehicle inspections countrywide on its behalf.
The vehicle inspection exercise is carried out under “Safe Drive Uganda” – a road safety measure intended to ensure vehicle roadworthiness and reduce carnage on Ugandan roads.
The vehicle inspection station in Namanve
Vehicles undergo a series of tests, including exhaust emissions, lights, suspension, brakes, tires, and checks for impairing vehicle body damage and rust, and a strict control of the required vehicle documents. The set of tests performed depends on the vehicle’s class (such as passenger car, truck or classic car).
This mandatory exercise is aimed at improving road safety by compelling motor vehicle owners and drivers to use safe and well-maintained vehicles.
The first vehicle inspection station is in Kawanda and it became operational on November 28, 2016. A mobile inspection station was set up at Namboole Stadium parking lot in February 2017, the second fixed inspection station in Nabbingo on Masaka road was inaugurated on 3rd May 2017, the third inspection station in Namulanda on Entebbe Road was opened on 31st May 2017.
Mbale became the fourth host of an inspection station in September 2017, followed by Mbarara on January 2018 and Gulu on March 2018. Since the mandatory exercise began, nearly 35,000 cars have been inspected at the five stations, according to Dubois.
An operator inspecting a car at the station
Mobile units will cover several upcountry locations with sparse vehicle populations.
SGS conducts almost 44 million vehicle inspections worldwide for both emissions and roadworthiness.
Worth noting is that the contract by SGS to inspect vehicles in the country is still under contention as some legislators have claimed that there was double dealing involved in the process.
