What Uganda Can Learn from Andhra University’s “Helmet for Life” Road Safety Drive

KAMPALA, Tuesday, 24th February, 2026 – If you have ever navigated Kampala’s legendary traffic, where boda-bodas glide like they have nine lives and taxi drivers signal only through telepathy, you will agree that Uganda could use a little extra help in the road-safety space. Thankfully, today’s experience from Andhra University in India offers us a helmet-sized dose of wisdom.

Founded in 1926, Andhra University is one of India’s grand old academic institutions, the kind that has seen generations of students, fashions, and hairstyles come and go without flinching. Nestled in the breezy coastal city of Visakhapatnam, the university is famous for its sprawling campus, vibrant student life, and the mystical ability of its professors to assign coursework that somehow finds you even during holidays.

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This year marks its 100th birthday, a milestone so big that the institution decided to celebrate all year long because when you turn a century old, a one-day party simply won’t do. The “Helmet for Life” campaign is part of these centenary festivities, not an annual ritual, but a special initiative to show that even after a hundred years, the university still cares deeply about its students’ safety, and occasionally about their hairstyles, especially the ones protected by helmets.

During its grand centenary celebrations, the university rolled out a spirited road-safety programme charmingly titled “Helmet for Life – Safety for All.” Held near the iconic Gandhi Statue, the event combined seriousness, science, and a sprinkle of student excitement to make one message clear: helmets are not fashion accessories; they are lifesavers.

Although I am proudly enrolled at Andhra University, I sadly missed all the Helmet for Life excitement because, at the moment, I am thousands of kilometres away at NEMA House in Kampala, doing what pays my bills such as drafting press releases, chasing officials for quotes, and pretending I don’t hear when someone asks why the office coffee lacks an accompanying bite. While my classmates were taking selfies in helmets and listening to inspiring speeches, I was busy navigating the far more dangerous terrain of office corridors, where the real hazards include a malfunctioning lift and colleagues who believe every email needs a “gentle reminder.” Still, reporting from afar has its perks: no risk of winter-like conditions, or being roped into a spontaneous campus dance with your teachers.

A Police Boss Who Didn’t Mince Words

The guest of honour, Shankhabrata Bagchi, delivered the kind of speech that makes you instinctively reach for your helmet buckle. He reminded students that safety isn’t something you put on only when police are watching. He backed this with hard facts from the region’s road-accident data; because nothing motivates better than numbers that scare you into good behaviour.

Now, let’s bring this home. In Uganda, the latest traffic reports show that more than 34% of road fatalities involve motorcycle accidents, and in Kampala alone, more than 70% of boda-boda riders admit they only wear a helmet “when they remember.” Imagine if Ugandan leaders took such data to universities, schools and taxi stages with a similar punch.

Leadership that Walks the Talk

The event enjoyed full backing from the university’s top brass, including Vice-Chancellor G.P. Raja Sekhar, Rector Pulipati King, and Registrar K. Rambabu. Their message was simple: a university isn’t just a place to earn degrees; it is a place to grow into responsible citizens.

Uganda’s higher institutions of learning, from Makerere to Kyambogo to Mbarara to Kabale to Uganda Christian University to Busitema to Kampala International University to IUIU to etc, could borrow a page here. What if every university became a mini-engine of road-safety culture, moulding students who not only pass exams but also pass traffic checkpoints with their helmets properly fastened?

Students Took Over with Energy

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The programme brought together heads of departments, lecturers, researchers, and students who participated with surprising enthusiasm – perhaps because this event didn’t involve end-semester exams. There were demonstrations, interactive sessions, and practical lessons, proof that safety doesn’t have to be boring. Of particular interest was Dr. Vijaya Veni, my ever-charming journalism lecturer, who stole the show when she hopped onto a motorbike with the confidence of a seasoned rider and casually demonstrated that road-safety lessons are best delivered by example, not just by PowerPoint.

Supervised by Prof. S. Haranath and coordinated by Pydi Srinivas, the event blended knowledge with fun, the same way Ugandans blend humour into everything from weddings to power-outage survival.

What Uganda Can Pick from Andhra

Uganda can draw several amusing yet meaningful lessons from the Andhra experience. First, there is the idea of making road safety cool again. If students can effortlessly master TikTok dances, they can certainly embrace a stylish safety campaign. With the right push from influencers, student leaders, and even the ever-charismatic boda boda stage chairpersons, helmet culture could become the next big trend; complete with hashtags, challenges, and maybe even a chart-topping “Helmet Anthem.” Neighbouring Rwanda is already moving in that direction.

Andhra’s example shows the power of leadership visibility. When top officials appear at road-safety events, messages land with more weight. Picture a Kampala campaign featuring Lord Mayor Balimwezo, traffic commanders, university vice-chancellors, and celebrity activists such as Full Figure all proudly wearing helmets. The photos alone would break the internet and, in the process, drive home a crucial point: safety begins at the top.

And finally, Uganda can learn from the strategic placement of safety messaging. Andhra University took the campaign right to the students; the people who needed it most. Uganda can do the same by taking road-safety drives to Wandegeya, Bwaise, Lira, Kisenyi, Mbale, Bukomansimbi, and every other place where boda-bodas swarm like bees on a ripe mango. If the message goes where the chaos lives, it is far more likely to stick.

A Journey Toward Safer Roads

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The “Helmet for Life” campaign at Andhra University wasn’t just an event. It was a gentle push toward a safer society. As Uganda grapples with rising accidents and the boda-boda boom, this model offers more than inspiration; it offers a blueprint. The boda bodas misbehaving on Ugandan roads are proudly imported from India so it is only fair that we import some good helmet manners along with them. After all, if we can ship in the motorcycles, surely a little road sense shouldn’t get stuck at customs.

If Uganda can adopt just half of Andhra University’s energy, our roads might finally become places where people travel to work, not to heaven prematurely.

Mr. Lubuulwa is the Senior Public Relations Officer at NEMA, Kampala Uganda, and a student of Journalism and Mass Communication at Andhra University.