As there was almost no traffic on the road we were speeding away at around 140km/h. The maximum speed in Uganda at the time was 80 km/h.
In some areas along the road there is very long hills up and down and sometimes the police set up speed controls. They didn’t have any radars so it is kind of a gamble as to what they actually measure 🙂 If they stand up on one hill they can see the cars going faster than the others on the downhill slope of another hill.
Normally the police would not stop our cars. As we approach the top of one hill the police is frantically waving at me to pull over.
The police that pulled me over ask me to drive up to the next policeman about 20 meters away.
I drive over to that policeman and stop. Were this police was he could not have seen me speeding.
He looks at me and then the car. Then he ask me. – Why did my colleague pull you over?
– I don’t know? (as I had never been pulled over in Uganda before)
Then the police turn around and shout something in the local language to his colleague, who shouts something back. He then turns back again stretching his hand into the car pointing at the speedometer.
– You were speeding!? Then he points his finger in a circle around anything between 80 -140 km/h.
– Ok… yes I might have been driving a little too fast coming down the hill, I say.
– You know speeding is not allowed.
– Yes.
Then he walks around the car and comes back and says.
-Ok Sir you know I should not stop you.
– Yes Sir.
– But you know you were speeding
The exchange continues like that for a while then he says.
-Why don’t you buy me some tea.
-Sir you know I can’t do that
– Yes Sir, but you were speeding
– Yes, I might have gone a bit too fast. But if I give you tea I would have to report it to the office.
– Hmm… Sir.. ok….. please continue but no speeding.
– Yes sir. will keep it within the limit.
– Ok, you know I should not stop you?!
-Yes Sir
– Ok have a nice day ssebo.
– Same to you Sir.
Then we continued to Masaka in the speed within the circle of what the policeman had pointed at. Still today I have not figured out if they have different rates for different speeds or if it is the same.