Somali national detained after knocking child dead in Kampala

KAMPALA (UG): The Police at Old Kampala are holding a Somali national on accusations of knocking an 18-month-old baby dead in Kampala.

The arrested driver identified as Abdul Rahim Bashir Khadir is accused of causing the death of the one-and-half-year-old baby identified as Diana Chebet in an accident on Friday morning.

Doreen Nanjala, the deceased’s mother said the baby was in the precincts of their home in Kisenyi when a speeding car dragged her under the tyres for a distance of over 100 metres.

Angry residents threatened to lynch Kadhir after he reportedly insisted on first dropping the children he had picked from school instead of rushing the knocked baby to a nearby health facility. The locals had encircled his vehicle but he was saved by the intervention of the police.

Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, SSP Patrick Onyango said Khadir is currently detained at Old Kampala Police Station as investigations proceed.

Chebet was rushed to a nearby health facility but was later pronounced dead. By press time, Old Kampala traffic crash investigators had placed charges of reckless driving leading to the death of a person against Khadir and his vehicle registration number UBN 355B had been impounded.

SSP Onyango said Khadir insists that he did not see the child. However, police said since he was driving in a residential area, he should have expected to find children and adults utilizing the small access route.

Every year, Uganda loses more than 600 children below the age of 18 in road crashes. Most of the children are knocked when going or returning from school.

Sam Bambanza, the Executive Director of Hope for Victims of Traffic Accidents has embarked on a campaign calling for policies enforcing a 30km/hr speed limit in all school zones as well as the residential areas.