Zanzibar road accidents, deaths rise in July

ZANZIBAR: ROAD accidents in Zanzibar rose to 25 in July from 24 in June, while fatalities jumped to 22 from 17, according to new government statistics.

The Office of the Chief Government Statistician (OCGS) road accidents in Zanzibar increased by 4.2 per cent in July 2025 compared to June. The number of deaths climbed to 22 from 17, a 29.4 per cent increase.

“Most deaths occurred in the West A and West B districts, with four fatalities in each, while in June the highest toll was in Central District with four deaths,” Statistician Ahmad Hassan Suleiman told journalists.

Injuries, however, dropped by 28.6 per cent, from 21 in June to 15 in July. North A and West B districts recorded the highest number of injuries, four each, while in June, North A and West A each recorded six injured victims.

Mr Suleiman said that of those killed or injured in July, 15 were passengers, 13 were cyclists or motorcyclists, five were pedestrians and four were drivers.

Speeding remained the leading cause, responsible for 23 of the 25 reported accidents, while driver negligence caused two incidents. West Urban Region recorded the most speeding-related accidents (11), while North Unguja Region had the highest number of negligencerelated accidents (two).

Traffic offences also remained high, with 6,539 cases reported in July of which 6,532 involved men and seven involved women. Central District had the highest share (1,189 cases or 18.2 per cent), while Micheweni recorded the lowest (53 cases or 0.8 per cent).

According to the OCGS, the most common offence was disobeying traffic rules and regulations (2,406 cases), followed by overloading passengers and cargo (1,545 cases) and driving without insurance or a road licence (952 cases).

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Assistant Police Inspector Omar Hamad Omar attributed the high number of accidents in West A District to narrow road infrastructure, increasing the likelihood of collisions.

He said the police have set up desks in each region to educate registered motorcycle taxi operators (bodaboda), but challenges remain as some riders operate unregistered, speeding and causing accidents. He also confirmed that licences of nine public vehicle drivers have been revoked for violating road safety law.