The State Minister for KCCA and Metropolitan Areas Kabuye Kyofatogabye has advised people to leave their cars at home for some days and walk to work to avoid Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) that are caused by being over weight, high cholesterol levels and not doing exercises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have introduced car free day, aimed at informing the public to walk on the streets of Kampala as away of improving their health since many people are dying of NCDs \u2013 some of which are due to air pollution from old cars, motorcycles and also not doing enough exercises like walking,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kabuye said, half of Kampala city, which has a population of over one million, was last Sunday closed to all vehicle users and only opened for pedestrians and cyclists during Kampala \u201ccar free day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Kampala is one of the cities in the world with worst air quality. By having a car free day, we are cutting on the level of air pollution, and recognize other road users like People With Disabilities (PWDs), children and pregnant mothers,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “We are also trying to protect the environment from vehicle emissions which compromise the air quality. We managed to have uncontaminated air free of chemicals that cause lung-related diseases,” Kabuye said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Research by World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that car and industrial pollution are linked to cancer, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory illnesses such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which impairs lung function and causes lung cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n WHO research shows that outdoor urban air pollution, mostly from vehicles and factories, accounts for the premature deaths of 1,340,000 people annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to WHO it like having \u00a055 buses, each carrying 65 passengers crash daily with no survivors. Some studies also show that air pollution is responsible for low birth weight and stillbirths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n .Kabuye said car free day aims at making streets walk-able and promoting a mindset change towards non-motorised environment in Kampala city .<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to \u2018healthline website\u2019, walking can offer numerous health benefits to people of all ages and fitness levels. It may also help prevent certain diseases like hypertension and even prolong life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The site further says walking can help you burn calories which helps in losing weight, strengthens the heart and lowers blood sugar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winstone Katushabe the Commissioner Transport Regulation and Safety said, walking reduce the risk of heart disease, like high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWalking helps people gain health benefits of fight NCDs like Cancer, pressure and diabetes. It also helps people learn to respect other road users like pedestrians, cyclists, children and pregnant women,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c It has been a family day out, people came with their families to exercise and interact with others on the streets, children played in the middle of the roads since vehicles didn\u2019t access the designated car free areas,\u201d Katushabe added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to KCCA Deputy Executive Director David Luyimbazi, Kampala car free day aims at encouraging people to walk on the streets as they exercise to curb emissions and air pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said the event also helps citizens to experience the city in a unique and health way and also promotes road safety since people move freely without threats of cars knocking them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joseph Beyanga, a road safety advocate, said the car free day was meant to protect the environment and ensure that road users are protected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe day was marked under the theme “road safety and air quality,“<\/strong> he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last Sunday, the car free day was held in two cities in Africa which included Uganda and Durban in South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other cities also promised to join the same activities next year after being inspired by Kampala in Uganda and Durban in South Africa conducted since it\u2019s a new event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Editor:msserwanga@gmail.com<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 By Zurah Nakabugo The State Minister for KCCA and Metropolitan Areas Kabuye Kyofatogabye has advised people to leave their<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[119,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","category-health"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1d.-People-playing-and-walking-on-Kampala-streets-during-Kampala-car-free-day.-IMG_20230326_120754_933-scaled.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12288,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/health-minister-dr-aceng-hails-astrazenecas-healthy-heart-africa-programme-to-tackle-chronic-kidney-disease-burden-in-uganda\/","url_meta":{"origin":8611,"position":0},"title":"Health Minister Dr. Aceng Hails AstraZeneca\u2019s Healthy Heart Africa Programme To Tackle Chronic Kidney Disease Burden In Uganda","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"June 28, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"\u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Initially focused on hypertension, this expansion underscores AstraZeneca's dedication to confronting the rising burden of non-communicable diseases and improving health outcomes for people in Uganda \u25cf\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Expansion includes enhancing access to prevention and screening for CKD, particularly among at-risk populations such as those with hypertension and type-2 diabetes \u00a0By Our Reporters\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/acen2.jpeg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/acen2.jpeg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/acen2.jpeg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/acen2.jpeg 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/acen2.jpeg 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4686,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/no-working-in-kampala-if-you-are-not-vaccinated-from-jan-1st-2022\/","url_meta":{"origin":8611,"position":1},"title":"No Working in Kampala if You are Not Vaccinated from Jan 1st 2022","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"November 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The Minister of State for Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs, Kabuye Kyofatogabye has announced the deadline for unvaccinated people to be work in Kampala.The minister chose the busy Kikubo trading hub to make the announcement. Accompanied by the Executive Director of Kampala Capital City Authority, the Minister said that since the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4610,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/national-medical-stores-chief-sponsor-of-he-2021-golf-club-ladies-open\/","url_meta":{"origin":8611,"position":2},"title":"NATIONAL MEDICAL STORES CHIEF SPONSOR OF HE 2021 GOLF CLUB LADIES OPEN","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"November 20, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The the National Medical Stores (NMS) have steppe in as the official sponsor of this year's Ladies Open taking place at Kitante Golf Club. The NMS Chief Stores and Operations Officer, Paul Okware, teed off the tournament at Kitante Golf Club in Kampala.\u00a0 NMS the Chief Sponsor of the 2021\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/sports-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG-20211113-WA0124.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG-20211113-WA0124.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG-20211113-WA0124.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG-20211113-WA0124.jpg 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMG-20211113-WA0124.jpg 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7573,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/govt-issues-new-tough-regulations-for-public-transport-in-kampala\/","url_meta":{"origin":8611,"position":3},"title":"Govt issues new tough regulations for public transport in Kampala","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"December 9, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"As the festive season draws near and in an effort to decongest and restore order on the streets of the Capital Kampala ,the State Minister for Kampala, Mr Kabuye Kyofatogabye, has issued new guidelines geared towards streamlining public transport in the city. The Minister while addressing the media in Kampala\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Public Transport"","block_context":{"text":"Public Transport","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/public-transport\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/old-taxi-park-scaled-1.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/old-taxi-park-scaled-1.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/old-taxi-park-scaled-1.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/old-taxi-park-scaled-1.jpg 2x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/old-taxi-park-scaled-1.jpg 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13997,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/greater-kampala-metropolitan-area-urban-development-program-gkma-udp-kicks-off\/","url_meta":{"origin":8611,"position":4},"title":"Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Program (GKMA-UDP) Kicks Off","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"March 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The long-awaited Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area Urban Development Program (GKMA-UDP) is set to kickoff following the award and signing of contracts for road works under its first phase . The GKMA-UDP includes ,Kampala, Entebbe, Kira, Makindye-Ssabagabo, Mukono, Nansana, and the districts of Mukono, Mpigi, and Wakiso. In the first phase,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15305,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/east-africas-first-traffic-control-centre-opens-in-kampala-city\/","url_meta":{"origin":8611,"position":5},"title":"East Africa\u2019s first traffic control centre opens in Kampala city","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"September 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Kampala has staked its claim as a regional leader in urban innovation with the launch of a shs7 billion (USD 24 million) state-of-the-art Traffic Control Centre, the first of its kind in East Africa. The facility, funded and implemented through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), marks a turning point\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National News"","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/category\/national-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/KCCA-900x570-1.jpg","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/KCCA-900x570-1.jpg 1x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/KCCA-900x570-1.jpg 1.5x, https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/KCCA-900x570-1.jpg 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0aOV-2eT","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8611"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8614,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8611\/revisions\/8614"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2-.-Minister-Kampala-Kabuye-Kyofatogabye-leading-people-to-walk-on-streets-during-Kampala-car-free-day.--1024x768.jpg\")