Newly built road claims 37 lives in five months

The Fort Portal-Kyegegwa road is becoming a death trap only two years after being constructed, with a record 37 deaths in a space of five months.

The deaths have been occurring at various black spots on the 103km road.

The latest accident occurred last Thursday morning when a Kampala-bound taxi, a Toyota Hiace locally known as Drone, overturned several times, killing five people, including three from one family.

According to Rwenzori West regional police spokesperson Vincent Twesige, the accident occurred at Kyasitiri Village between Kyegegwa and Kyenjojo at around 9am. It happened after a tyre of the taxi burst.

The deceased were identified as Hebert Byamukama, 46, and Consolata Katusabe, 47, both residents of Kyaduri, Kyenjojo District; and another one only identified as Agondeze. Two others, both male adults, could not immediately be identified.

Dr Martin Yefta, the in-charge of Kyegegwa General Hospital, said they are treating two accident victims.

A witness, Mr Sethi Ayinembabazi, attributed the accident to speeding.

“The tyre burst as the taxi was slopping at a high speed and the driver lost control. It overturned several times from the uphill up to this place,” Ms Ayinembabazi said.

One of the survivors, Mr James Waibale, also explained the cause of the accident.

‘‘The driver was speeding. The taxi ended up rolling. Actually I lost consciousness after the loud bang from the bursting tyre. From then I found myself being carried. I am feeling immense pain,” Mr Waibale narrated.

Several residents said most motorists on the road drive recklessly given the smooth road.

The district councillor for Kakabara Sub-county, Mr Ernest Magezi, asked drivers of passenger service vehicles to exercise caution. “Some drivers speed, disregarding the lives of their passengers. Some drive while speaking on phone and in case of any threat, he can easily cause an accident,” he said.

This grisly accident came nearly four weeks after a Link Bus overturned at Sekitoli, a few kilometres from Fort Port City on the same Fort Portal-Kampala highway, killing 20 people on spot. Three others died from hospital.

It becomes the fourth fatal accident on the 103-kilometre stretch since last November in in which 37 lives have been lost and left scores injured.

Last November, another accident near Kibuye Trading Centre in Kyegegwa (Kyegegwa-Mubende road) claimed five lives.

 In January, a head-on collision at Kiregesa Village, three kilometres from Kyenjojo Town, left four dead.

The deadly road

The road is newly tarmacked and was commissioned in 2020. Passengers get to see sweeping lawns and landscaped vistas while moving on the road that has an extension of 53 kilometres to Kyegegwa Town.

The road snakes into the lush greenery and cultivated fields of tea estates in Kyenjojo and Kabarole districts. Part of Kibale National Park also comes into one’s view.

The road’s windings—specifically the steep descents—always seem to tempt drivers into overstepping on the gas pedal. The stretch after Kaswa Trading Centre up to Ssebitoli where the Link Bus accident claimed 20 lives has a hairpin corner and steep slope.

Junior Works and Transport minister Musa Ecweru said mid this month that the investigation into the accident at Ssebitoli would not be “a simple one.”

The increased cases of fatal road crashes along the road continually leave health facilities in the area coming apart at the seams. As seen this past week, most of them are not equipped with enough supplies and personnel to handle a deluge of accident victims. They also don’t have enough ambulances to evacuate victims from the scene.

From Fort Portal to Kyegegwa District, one can count three main health facilities. These include Kyenjojo and Kyegegwa hospitals, as well as Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital. Mr Bruce Rwampunda, the former hospital administrator at Kyenjojo Hospital, says the facility lacks a casualty ward.

Police statistics
The recent police crime report on traffic and road safety for 2021 shows that 3,757 people died in road accidents between January and December 2021, compared to 3,269 in 2020.  The same report shows that 9,070 people were critically injured in road accidents in 2021compared to 5803 in 2020. In 2021, 17,443 road accidents were recorded compared to 12,249 registered in 2020.