Police have confirmed that eight people lost their lives in a tragic motor accident early Sunday morning along the Kampala-Masaka highway.
The crash occurred around 2:00 AM near Kabale-Bugonzi, close to Peak Eclat Primary School. A bus owned by Jaguar Bus Company, with registration number UBP 964T, was traveling from Kampala to Kigali, Rwanda, when it veered out of its lane and collided head-on with a Fuso truck, registration number UAV 988N.
The victims, who died at the scene, have been identified as Moses Awinyi, Musa Munyanda, Steven Kayinamura, Edwin Tushabomwe, Liz Akaliza, Teopista Amalia, Evelyn Natukunda, and Acham. All were passengers aboard the bus.
According to eyewitness Mr. Sam Musoke, the bus driver lost control of the vehicle, leading to the collision with the truck, which was traveling from Masaka to Kampala. “The bus overturned several times before swerving off the road and plunging into a valley,” Musoke recounted.
Local residents, along with a response team from the Uganda Red Cross Society and the police, managed to transport at least 40 injured individuals to Masaka Regional Referral Hospital for treatment.
Southern Regional Police Spokesperson, M. Twaha Kasirye, attributed the accident to speeding. “We continue to warn motorists against speeding. The accident occurred in the dark, and it’s likely that the bus driver had poor visibility, which impaired his decision-making and endangered the lives of those on board,” he said.
This tragic event marks the third fatal bus crash in just two weeks. Four days earlier, ten people were killed when a Pokopoko Bus Company vehicle, registration number UBE 807T, collided with a Toyota Hiace commuter taxi, registration number UBR 812G, at Kaihura Trading Centre on Fort Portal-Kyenjojo Road.
On August 19, another six people died and 37 were injured in a crash involving a Gateway Company bus, registration number UBQ 621Z, and a Fuso truck, registration number UBM 673K, at Kirumba Village in Lwengo District on the Masaka-Mbarara highway.
Eyewitnesses reported that the crash occurred when the bus driver, Batambuze Nayi, attempted to overtake a Jaguar bus just ahead of him. Nayi was among those who perished.
In the week of August 11-17, police reported that 76 people lost their lives in road accidents on major highways across the country, with 375 others sustaining injuries. Vulnerable road users, including cyclists and pedestrians, accounted for 85% of the total deaths, with motorcyclists alone representing 43% of fatalities.
