Remembering toddler lost to freak accident

Everyday seemed like a blessing with Baby Vince. During the barely two years he lived, Vince gave love and received it in equal measure. 
When he was killed in a freak accident after a shuttle van dropped his sister from school, there were truly more questions than answers. Plus a lot of pain.

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Born on June 2,  2021, Vince Magoola Kalyebi was Collins Michael Onyait and Vivian Nakiyemba’s second child. 
Grieving the loss of a child is heartrending by all accounts. Collins and Vivian expected their son to outlive them; yet now they have to rebuild their lives without Baby Vince after recently laying him to rest.
Gone too soon
Upon his birth, everyone in the Onyait household was overjoyed. Vince’s big sister—Annatalia—was like a second mum to him. It didn’t matter that a handful of years separated the two. 
“Every day with him seemed like a blessing,” Vince’s father told this publication, adding that his deceased son was full of life and had expressed this many times.
A jolly child, his father’s fondest memories of him draw back during the 2022 Fifa World Cup games that they watched together at home. Vince loved football a lot. A day before he lost his life to a freak accident, Baby Vince played football with his father in their backyard. 
At the time of his death, Baby Vince was set to start school in baby class at Great Mama Nursery and Daycare. He was only delayed by the late delivery of his school uniform. 
Bond with grand parent
Baby Vince was named Magoola Kalyebi after his grandfather. Kalyebi Senior, a revenue administration and policy consultant, says he utterly adored Vince.
“Vince was my first son, Collins’ second child and only son. Although I have many grandchildren, he was one of the four of my biological grandchildren who is a boy. I looked at him as my hero,” Mr Kalyebi told Monitor. 
Magoola Kalyebi Sr, with whom they spent most weekends, explains that Vince was particular with people.
“With elders, he always asked for the specific things he wanted. And with his fellows, it was only games and play,” he recalls. 
Vince was not your average crybaby. Kalyebi Sr says if his grandson shed a tear, it meant unfair treatment. 
Big dreams quashed
Vince’s family had big dreams for him. His father, an engineer, says—whilst he would have loved his son to join him in the world of sciences—his keen interest in football hinted at a career perhaps being carved out on a football pitch. The plan was to have Vince strike a balance between education and sport. 
As a grandfather, Mr Kalyebi saw his grandson as his younger self. Apart from seeing him study, becoming another elite in their family and acquiring a social status in future, Mr Kalyebi wanted Vince to take up roles in their extended family back in Butebo as well as expanding their family. 
“For us we are now old, some have left this world already. I very much loved to see my grandson expand our family. He was the new generation. In him, we saw our future generations,” Mr Kalyebi revealed. 
The fateful day
At around 1pm on March 27, a shuttle van that had returned Vince’s elder sister from school knocked him dead outside their home gate in Nsawo Zone in Namugongo.
According to the area chairperson, Mr Michael Ssendikadiwa Ssendawula, when the shuttle van arrived, the driver hooted and the maid came to open the gate.
“The maid had left baby Vince inside the house. He would later move out and follow her to the gate without both the maid and the driver seeing him,’’ Mr Ssendawula said, adding that Vince walked up to under the van.
After Vince’s elder sister alighted from the van, the driver drove off. In the process, the driver knocked Vince. He died on the spot.
At the time, both parents were away at their workplaces. The neighbours took charge until parents were alerted and came to follow up.
Coping with loss 
Since his passing, the world still seems to be so still and silent for the Onyait household. 
Barely four years, Vince’s elder sister—Annatalia—is still frightened. She has since failed to enter their house after her brother’s body was brought for vigil. 
Special care and watch have been set up for Vince’s mother as she tries to come to terms with the loss of her son. She was too distraught to share the fondest memories of her late son in this tribute. 
Mr Kalyebi told Monitor that since the young couple could not return to their home, he hosted it at his house. Perhaps it helps that Mzei Kalyebi’s abode is also located in Nsawo Village, Namugongo. 
“At my place, my daughter-in-law still seemed very shocked with no signs of recovery from the tragedy. She needed special care and we opted that she goes to her parents for further care and solace,” he explained. 
Collins says while police intervened and moved to conduct further investigations into the circumstances that led to the death of their son, the driver of the shuttle van took full responsibility. 
He further revealed that after burial, they closed the case after jointly understanding that the tragedy was a freak accident. 
Baby Vince was buried on March 28, a day after his sudden death. His final resting place is in Nasenyi Village, Kabwangasi, Butebo District. He is survived by his parents and sister.