Runaway car kills pupil, boda man, injures two

Deceased. David Ssenyonjo

What you need to know:

  • Mr Samuel Katonda, the children’s father, told Daily Monitor that he was worried about his other child at Mulago hospital.

A pupil and his boda boda rider died on the spot yesterday morning while his two siblings were injured after a vehicle knocked them in Bukasa, Makindye Division, Kampala.
The deceased are Davis Ssenyonjo (pupil) and Richard Kamya (bodaboda cyclist).

The survivors are Richard Kazibwe and Nanyange Shivan. The three children were on their way to Tara Primary School in Bukasa.
The driver of the vehicle sped away. Police later identified the registration number of the hit-and -run car as UAT 783K.
The injured were taken to a nearby clinic for first aid and later to Mulago hospital.

Kazibwe was critically injured and was still on oxygen by last evening, but his younger sister Nanyange was treated and discharged.
The body of the boda boda rider was taken to his home in Masaka District for burial while Ssenyonjo’s was still lying at his parents’ home in Bukasa by last evening.

He will be buried in Kalisizo, Masaka at a date yet to be known.
Mr Mike Wakula, a witness, told Daily Monitor that both the boda boda and the hit-and-run car were coming from the same direction.

Sombre mood. Mourners gather at Mr Samuel Katonda’s home in Bukasa, Makindye Division, Kampala after he lost his son Davis Ssenyonjo on October 10, 2019. PHOTO BY ALEX ESAGALA


“The driver of the Starlet was driving at a breakneck speed. He hit the motorcycle before he run over it. He immediately sped off upon after realising he had killed people,” Mr Wakula, who is also a boda boda rider, said.
He blamed the driver for speeding and reckless driving.
Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson Patrick Onyango said they were still hunting the driver.

“It was a hit-and-run accident which occurred at 6:30am at Bukasa. The driver of the killer car is still on the run and we are calling upon anyone who sees a Starlet registration number UAT 783K to alert police,” Mr Onyango said.
However, he also warned against transporting several children on one boda boda, saying transporting more than one passenger is an offence.
“Parents must be cautious with lives of their children, especially when using boda bodas because when a cyclist loads more than one passenger, they tend to become uncomfortable on the road, leading to an accident,” Mr Onyango said.

Mr Samuel Katonda, the children’s father, told Daily Monitor that he was worried about his other child at Mulago hospital.
“The other child is still fighting for his life and he needs prayers because he has not spoken anything since the accident occurred. It is a very hard moment for me,” Mr Katonda said.
Residents and relatives streamed to his home to commiserate with the bereaved family.