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Mother who lost three children in Fort Portal bus crash speaks out
Ms Mariam Nansubuga at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital on Friday. PHOTO / ALEX ASHABA
What you need to know:
- Gift Asiimwe, 13, was as full of questions as any pupil in primary five would be. Devine Mubezi, three, had such an infectious smile that would light up a room. Destine Alinda, who at two months and two weeks is the youngest life claimed in Wednesday’s accident, seemed to have a long life ahead of her. Rocking baby Destine in his arms would be therapeutic for her father, Ms Nansubuga thought.
For Ms Mariam Nansubuga, 30, today will be a Mother’s Day like no other. As Mother’s Day cards, flowers and presents take centre stage, wounds will be fresh for Ms Nansubuga—both literally and metaphorically. Literally because she is a survivor of the Link Bus road crash on Fort Portal-Kyenjojo road at Ssebitoli that claimed 21 lives this past week. Metaphorically because three of the 21 souls lost were of her children.
They were all laid to rest two days before Mother’s Day as their mother continued recuperating at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital. This is not how the script was meant to read. When Ms Nansubuga braved the morning fog of Wednesday at 6:30am to set off to the bus terminal, she was keen to get to Iganga District where her father was hospitalised. She hoped that the presence of his grandchildren would cheer up her ailing father.
Gift Asiimwe, 13, was as full of questions as any pupil in primary five would be. Devine Mubezi, three, had such an infectious smile that would light up a room. Destine Alinda, who at two months and two weeks is the youngest life claimed in Wednesday’s accident, seemed to have a long life ahead of her. Rocking baby Destine in his arms would be therapeutic for her father, Ms Nansubuga thought.
The 30-year-old, who hails from Kalijo 3 village, Totoro Sub-county, in Bundibugyo District, says she boarded the ill-fated Link Bus at 8am with her three children in tow. “After boarding the bus from Bundibugyo, when we reached the Fort Portal Link Bus terminal, the bus stopped and they added other passengers. It was full and speeding,” she recalls.
Ms Nansubuga had taken out Shs80,000 to purchase two seats on the bus. Gift and Devine shared one seat for the trip to the capital. The other accommodated her with baby Destine thinking of her arms as a sanctuary. All would change for the worse in a matter of minutes.
“What I can still remember was that I heard something like a blast and the bus started overturning,” she said before adding rather poignantly, “And after I started crying as I was looking for my children as someone was guiding me out of the bus wreckage.”
Gory scenes of people lying in puddles of blood greeted her. Still, she couldn’t see any of her children. Then, like a heavyweight boxer on the ropes, the blows came in quick succession.
“I first saw my young baby dead, and later I saw the three-year-old lying in the tea estate. Dead. By the time I saw the clothes the third one had been wearing, I could barely hold it together. I fainted,” Ms Nansubuga said.
The wreckage of the bus parked at Fort Portal police station
Raw wounds
She said she came to know that all her three children passed on when she was glued to a hospital bed. The news—as one would expect—knocked her sideways.
“What hurts me most is that I lost all my three children I had in my life. I have remained with nothing,” she said, adding “They were all buried at the same time in my absence and that of my husband, I don’t know whether I will ever have children.”
Her husband, Mr Geoffrey Bitamirwe said he received the news of the passing of Gift, Devine and Destine at around 10am Wednesday.
“Early in the morning, at around 7am, I escorted my wife and children to board the bus. Thereafter I went back home,” he said.
“A few hours later, I received a call from a gentleman that my wife is admitted and my three children are in the mortuary. I became unconscious for some hours,” he added.
He said it took him time to identify his children from the pile of corpses. Mr Bitamirwe was able to identify them by looking at their feet.
“After identifying I looked for a vehicle and transported bodies for burial arrangement. I did not bury them because I remained in the hospital with my wife,” he said.
Nansubuga’s mother, Ms Anent Namutebi received the tragic news via telephone. Almost straightaway, she embarked on a journey from Iganga District to Fort Portal. Mother’s Day has found her consoling her daughter. She has two of her other daughters also offering support as medical staff dress the wounds of Ms Nansubuga.
Ms Nansubuga has since Wednesday been getting a steady dose of injectable painkillers. The pain—both literal and metaphorical—however remains deep.
