The highway forms a section of the Northern Corridor, a road system that connects the East African cities of Bujumbura, in Burundi, Kigali, in Rwanda and Kampala, in Uganda to Nairobi, in Kenya and ultimately to the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

It is also a vital road link to the sea, for many parts of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

[4] The following points of interest lie along or near the Kampala–Jinja Highway: (1) Uganda Management Institute; in the Central Division of Kampala.

[9] (8) Namilyango College; is an all-boys boarding high school which is located about 4 kilometres (2 mi), south of the highway, at Seeta in Mukono Town.

[11] (10) Sezibwa Falls; which are located approximately 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi), south of the Highway at Kayanja, in Mukono District.

Lugazi Town; located in Buikwe District, it is the headquarters of Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited.

[12] (13) University of Military Science and Technology; in Lugazi, is an institution of the Uganda People's Defence Force.