When The Chicken's Dead
By Mick Farmer
Who's responsible when livestock becomes road kill? It was reported in the press recently that President Museveni forked out 150,000/= ($100 US) for a chicken that was run over by his vehicle.
This event, a frequently debated question over a beer, highlighted the need to know who is responsible, where and when and do we really need to carry around 150,000/= when we are in charge of a motor vehicle?
When I first came to Uganda I worked upcountry moving relief food to Southern Sudan. Our truck drivers were forever hitting chickens and goats and, of course, the organisation was then held responsible for replacing them. Replacement was always done in cash and usually, after a lot of negotiation, at a much higher rate than the market value of the animal!!
This drove me to try and find out who was ultimately responsible. Was it the driver of the vehicle or the herdsman/owner of the animal? Getting an answer from someone in authority was difficult, as everybody seemed to have a different opinion - for obvious reasons.
Eventually I got an answer that seemed to make sense. If you injure or kill livestock on a main road then the herdsman/owner is responsible. If you injure or kill livestock on a feeder road then the driver is responsible. You then have to know which are the main roads and which are the feeder roads!!!
Be forewarned, however, that the above information has not been verified since my time working upcountry. The best policy is to be aware when travelling on all roads in Uganda that an animal can wander onto the road. Take care, keep your speed down and your eyes open. If you hit cattle, for instance, they not only cost a lot of money to replace but they can do a lot of damage to your vehicle. A so called "bull bar" will not protect you!!!!
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