Kibuku, Uganda: An eight-year-old girl has died after she was knocked down by a speeding vehicle along the Mbale-Iganga Highway at Bwibere Village in Kibuku District on Sunday morning.
The deceased has been identified as Kataike Edisa, a Primary Two pupil at Midland Nursery and Primary School, Nampiido, and daughter of James Kwenena, a resident of Bwibere Village, Nampiido Parish in Nabiswa Sub-county.
According to Bukedi North Regional Police spokesperson ASP Wilfred Kyempasa, the fatal crash occurred at around 11:30 a.m. when a white Toyota Wish, registration number UAZ 211T, travelling from Mbale towards Iganga, reportedly lost control, veered off the road and knocked down the child.
Speaking to DailyExpress, Ahamed Bumba, an imam in the area, said the girl had been sent to buy sugar and was walking back home when tragedy struck.
“She had gone to buy sugar and was on her way back when the vehicle left the road and knocked her,” Bumba said. He described the deceased as a disciplined and promising pupil whose sudden death has left the community in shock.
Police officers visited and documented the scene before conveying the body to Kibuku Health Centre mortuary for a postmortem examination.
The vehicle was towed to Tirinyi Police Station pending inspection by the Inspector of Vehicles, while the driver was taken into police custody to assist detectives with investigations into the cause of the crash.
The latest fatality comes just days after another serious crash along the Tirinyi-Iganga Highway left three people injured, renewing concerns over road safety on one of eastern Uganda’s busiest transport corridors.
Police have urged motorists to observe speed limits, remain vigilant when driving through trading centres and residential areas, and exercise extra caution near schools and places frequented by children.
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