Eight people have died on the spot, and more than 40 have been left in very critical conditions due to a head-on collision accident along the Kampala-Masaka highway.
The accident happened in the wee hours of the morning on September 1, 2024, in Kabale-Bugonzi village in Masaka city along the Kampala-Masaka highway due to a head-on collision crash between a Jaguar bus and a Fuso canter truck.
The Jaguar bus registration number UBP 964T was coming from Kampala and heading to Kigali, while the driver of the canter truck registration number UAV 988N was coming from Masaka.
According to the survivors from the Jaguar bus, the driver of the bus was driving at a very high speed and was also overtaking various cars.
They added that at the time the accident happened, the bus driver was overtaking the two vehicles that were in front of him, entered another lane, and had a head-on collision with the container truck, which led to the overturning of the bus several times, and then it fell in a valley.
’’These bus drivers do not care about the passengers because even when you tell them to reduce their speed, they do not listen and answer back rudely or even increase the speed, and this is the reason why such accidents are increasing,’’ the survivors revealed.
One of the bus survivors, identified as Ainebyona, said that the bus driver should be punished by the law because he is the cause of all the eight deaths.
‘’When the bus started rolling several times, I just knew we were all going to die, and when it reached down the valley, the screams of the people went mute,’’ Ainebyona noted.
While being interviewed on September 1, 2024, the Greater Masaka police spokesperson, SP Twaha Kasirye, confirmed the incident and said that the number of people who have survived this accident is over 40; however, most of them have severe injuries like broken legs, limbs, and arms; some are still unconscious and have been admitted to Masaka Regional Referral Hospital.
SP Kasirye also disclosed that the eight people who died include four men and women, and these include Topista Amaali, aged 39 years; Edrine Tushabwomwe, aged 35 years, a resident of Entebbe, Acham; Moses Awanyi Okello, a teacher in Rwanda; Mark Munyanda Musa, aged 53 years old; Evelyn Natukunda, a 31-year-old resident of Kyengera; Winnie Akaliza, aged 28 years; and Stephen Kainamula, a 51-year-old Rwandan national.
He noted that the police have always cautioned against bad and reckless driving, but drivers tend to pay a deaf ear. Kasirye, therefore, warned drivers to stop bad and reckless driving, advising them to respect the rights of the passengers whenever they are on board of their buses.
’’It is so sad that we have lost eight innocent lives due to reckless and bad driving despite several warnings issued to these bus drivers; however, we are going to look into this issue further with the traffic department,’’ SP Kasirye revealed.
The Kampala Masaka highway is now considered a black spot for such accidents. For example, on April 17, 2024, a head-on collision between a Subaru Forester and a Mitsubishi Fuso truck occurred at Kamengo-Kasuule Ayanguwa swamp along the highway, and the three occupants of the Subaru Forester, including the driver, died instantly, and one passenger was critically injured.
