Bus company suspends business after accident leaves eight dead
The wreckage of the KKT bus that was involved in an accidents in Murchison Falls National Park on Friday night. Eight people died and 45 others sustained serious injuries after the bus knocked an elephant. PHOTO BY FELIX WAROM OKELLO
What you need to know:
The Friday night road accident in Marchison Falls National Park has prompted KK Traveller to suspend operations pending clearance of company drivers by the Transport Licensing Board.
KAMPALA
KK Traveller (KKT), a bus company, yesterday suspended its operations till further notice, creating a transport crisis for the numerous passengers travelling to various destinations to and fro West Nile.
The move came after a Friday accident involving one of its buses, just eight kilometers away from Pakwach Town, led to the death of about eight people and left 45 more injured. The bus, which was heading to Kampala knocked an elephant dead as it crossed the road in Murchison Falls National Park.
The company managing director, Mr Taban Idro, said: “We have painfully decided to stop our operations until the Transport Licensing Board vets all the drivers. This is aimed at ensuring safety of the passengers.”
Several victims are still recovering from the various health centres where they are admitted.
As a result, passengers have been left to scramble for the remaining little space at Gaaga, Nile Coach and California bus terminals.
One of the passengers at Gaaga, Ms Josephine Anguparu, said the suspension affects the transport system. “When some buses are suspended, it becomes difficult for the other companies to accommodate passengers. It is a big crisis since many people could be left behind yet they have urgent business to attend to,” Ms Anguparu said.
But the north-western region police commander, Mr Fredrick Ssegirinya, said the drivers should reduce speed while in the park as it is a gazzetted area for animals. “The drivers should be extra careful for the safety of passengers because many animals cross the roads for food and water at any point,” he said.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority spokesperson, Ms Lilian Nsubuga, told the Daily Monitor that when people are within the boundaries of the park, the animals have right of way. “We always insist that motorists should not speed, and the speed limit is 40 kilometers per hour which helps them to be able to stop upon seeing the animals,” she said.
“By law, it is also illegal to hoot while in the park because it disturbs their (animals) serenity. If the driver was at a slow speed, he wouldn’t have knocked the elephant and should have stopped to allow it to cross,” she added.
In the park, there are warning signs of animals crossing and welcome signposts which indicate there is a national park. KKT plies the West Nile routes of Nebbi, Paidha, Arua and Koboko towns. Recently, the Transport Licensing Board also suspended the operations of Gaaga Coach after it was involved in an accident. But the suspension was revoked after all the drivers were vetted.
