Two dead, eight injured as truck rams into boda bodas at Kawaala junction
The wreckage of the ill-fated truck that rammed into pedestrians and motorcyclists at Kawaala-Nabweru junction on January 28, 2024 being towed away from the crash scene.
What you need to know:
- At the global stage, the World Health Organisation (WHO) put the deaths resulting from road crashes in Uganda at a staggering 7,315 annually, almost twice the figures reported to police, which stands at 4,159 in 2022.
Two people have been confirmed dead and eight others seriously hurt after a Fuso truck rammed into boda boda riders and pedestrians at Kawaala junction in Nabweru, Nansana Municipality in Wakiso District.
“The crash involved Motor vehicle No. UAQ 539E Mitsubishi Fuso & Motorcycles No. UFS 111, UEP 598K and UFU 872P (all Bajaj Boxers),” said traffic police spokesperson, SP Michael Kananura.
The deceased whose particulars were not readily availed by press time were only identified by police as a motorcycle rider and a passenger.
The injured were rushed to Mulago national referral hospital following the 12:40pm Sunday crash.
According to preliminary reports, the driver of the ill-fated truck en route from Kazo side sloping into the junction, failed to brake and rammed into the said motorcycles.
“Bodies have been conveyed to Mulago mortuary for postmortem. Both the motor vehicle and motor cycles have been towed to Nabweru Police Station pending inspection. Investigations into the cause are underway,” SP Kananura added.
Police said they were hunting for the truck driver who is on the run.
Crashes on Ugandan roads are common, according to the police which has over time attributed to human error as the leading cause.
At the global stage, the World Health Organisation (WHO) put the deaths resulting from road crashes in Uganda at a staggering 7,315 annually, almost twice the figures reported to police, which stands at 4,159 in 2022.
While the police annual traffic and crime report for 2021 put the percentage of males who died of crashes at 81 percent and 19 percent females, WHO put the figures at 95 percent males and 5 percent females while the deaths per 100,000 population is estimated to be at 16 for every 100,000 people.
A 2022 report authored by Dr Charles Ayume, the Koboko Municipality MP, and the chairperson of the Health Committee in Parliament, placed the burden of road crash victims’ treatment in government regional referral hospitals across the country at Shs236.3 million daily.
The government spends Shs86.2b on treatment every financial year, which is a big percentage of the national health budget. Dr Ayume said injuries caused by road accidents are costly health-wise, socially, and economically.
