Kampala, (UG):- Police have identified Raphael Okiot, as the driver and occupant of a Mitsubishi motor vehicle that was on Wednesday morning crushed by a cement mixer truck along Entebbe-Kampala expressway.
Uganda Police’s Traffic Spokesperson, Mr Michael Kananura confirmed this in a Wednesday afternoon statement and said that the 8:30 am incident happened after the mixer truck reportedly failed to brake as it approached the Nkumba University traffic lights.
“The territorial police in Entebbe has today morning on the 17-4-24 at around 8:30 am registered a fatal crash involving M/Vs UBQ 371P Mitsubishi RVR, UAN 836B a concrete mixer & UG 310006 T/Hilux,” Mr Kakanura said in a post via Police’s official X handle.
According to Kananura, preliminary reports indicate that the three said vehicles were in the same direction facing Entebbe from Kampala and while at Nkumba traffic lights waiting to be released by the lights, motor vehicle UAN 836B a concrete mixer from behind lost control & failed to brake.
“…as the driver tried to dodge the vehicles in front of him hit a pavement on the side of the road and overturned falling onto m/v UBQ 371P killing instantly its driver one Okoit Raphael M/A 34 yrs of age, a lawyer working with MALDEF Advocates and a resident of Seeta,” he said.
The body of the driver was later retrieved from the Mistubishi and the crash wreckage was removed from the road after the security forces called in a crane truck.
“Both cars were taken to Entebbe Main Police Station where the body of the deceased was cut out from the Mistubishi,” Kananura explained.
How the crash happened
Eyewitnesses who spoke to this publication on Wednesday afternoon said the driver of the cement mixer truck UAN 836D lost control and rammed into the barriers in the middle of the road before falling onto the Mitsubishi vehicle on the morning.
“The driver of the Cement truck moved out of the car and probably went to a medical facility for treatment. But this road has become a death trap, the accident occurred at 8 am Police and SFC have deployed here for more than three hours,” said Najid Huzaifa a councillor in Nkumba ward in Entebbe Municipality.
Another eyewitness, Mr John Kasimbazi the Director of Rock Zone Hotel located about 20 meters from the crash scene also decried the area where the accident saying it has become a black spot lately.
“When cars are sloping down while moving from Kampala to Entebbe, many times vehicles fail to stop when the traffic lights change to red. It’s hard to spend a day when they haven’t knocked a person or car,” he said.
“We urge UNRA to put up signs about two hundred meters before the lights informing drivers of the traffic lights ahead so that they can slow down, otherwise people are going to continue dying from that spot,” Kasimbazi added.
Meanwhile, DailyExpress established that Okiot was a court advocate and husband to Kyenjojo Grade I Magistrate, Ms Faith Irene Kwagala.
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