MPIGI, UGANDA: Two people died on the spot, with 15 others injured following a nasty road crash that happened along the Kampala – Masaka highway on Saturday evening. The accident involved a Toyota Noah and a Toyota Hiace commuter taxi, in an incident that happened near Jalia City’s one-stop centre in Mpigi District at around 4 pm.
The deceased have been identified as Abdul Ssekkuma, the driver of the Toyota Hiace and Sandra Akurut, residents of Nansana, Wakiso and Namungoona, Kampala District respectively.
The unidentified woman who was driving a Toyota Noah sustained severe injuries and was, together with other survivors rushed to Nkozi Hospital and Buwama Health Centre IV for treatment.
Mr Juma Maggwaw, the Katonga Regional Traffic police spokesperson confirmed the crash and advised motorists to avoid reckless driving.
“It is a rainy season and roads tend to be slippery. We are also approaching the festive season where we usually record increased road crashes. Let our people adhere to traffic regulations. A big number of such road crashes is as a result of human errors which can be minimized but most motorists have failed to take heed and we end up losing lives,” he said.
According to Sam Ssekitto, one of the eyewitnesses, the crash was as a result of speeding by both drivers of the ill-fated vehicles. He said most of the survivors were travelling in the taxi heading to Rakai District to attend a burial ceremony.
“The drivers of both vehicles-one of the Toyota Hiace who was travelling from Kampala and another in a Toyota Noah who was travelling from Masaka side were speeding. They attempted to overtake other vehicles and in the process, they collided head-on,” he said.
What Police Stats Say
The 2021 Uganda Police Annual Crime Report says there was a 42-per cent increase in the number of road crashes from 12, 249 in 2020 to 17,443 in 2021. More than 3,000 crashes were fatal, and 4,616 survived with minor injuries.
The report says on average, Uganda loses approximately 10 people per day due to road crashes.
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