Paper short abstract:

Global and local road use technologies in Uganda influence the road access, use and safety of persons with mobility difficulties (PWMDs). The road use technologies raise questions about the citizenship of PWMDs, trap PWMDs in a state of negotiating citizenship, making their citizenship contested.

Paper long abstract:

This paper analyzes how the global and local road use technologies are linked to and/or influence the citizenship of persons with mobility difficulties (PWMDs—having impaired lower limbs and visual impairment). Focus is placed on how road design, construction and repair processes influence road access, use and safety of PWMDs. Roads in Uganda, particularly Kampala are narrow, congested, with crossing barriers, potholes, some lack pedestrian paths, have invisible zebra crossings, pavements that are not maneuverable—hosting flower pots, electric poles, garbage containers, boda-boda and taxi parking lots, gullies, dysfunctional traffic lights or functional but not followed by instructing traffic officers. Marram roads are muddy and slippery or dusty. These artifacts—hardware road use technologies were analysed alongside software technologies including; institutional structures, actors, policies and laws. Qualitative interviews, observations and extended case studies conducted with PWMDs and key informants in Kampala revealed that hardware road use technologies combine with the software technologies to influence road access, use by and safety of PWMDs. These technologies raise questions about citizenship of PWMDs. They present challenges for PWMDs which they nonetheless muddle through and negotiate their ways to their destinations. The technologies are less sensitive to the extra road use needs of PWMDs. We conclude that: PWMDs are trapped in a state of negotiating citizenship; their experiences lay bare the inherent contradictions in the notion of citizenship; and that citizenship of PWMDs is contested.

Key words:

Disability, Road Use Technologies, Contested Citizenship, Uganda