Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, said the deceased has been a lecturer at International University of East Africa, while a 40-year-old businesswoman has survived with severe injuries.
The Uganda Police has identified victims of a tragic road accident that occurred in Nabweru Katooka- within Nansana Municipality Wakiso district Thursday night.
The Traffic Police report has indicated that the crash occurred when a Fuso truck registration number UAT905Y, carrying 120 bags of charcoal from Apac district to Katooke, experienced brake failure and overturned, falling on a small silver Platz registration number AUL 292D resulting in the fatality.
Some of the eyewitnesses attributed the crash to speeding by the Fuso truck driver, who reportedly lost control as he attempted to avoid a pothole in the middle of the road.
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According to Samuel Kasoma, a Katooke resident and eyewitness, the victim's driver attempted to avoid the speeding truck but was hindered by the narrow road. Kasoma also attributed the fatal outcome to the delayed response of the rescue teams.
'We witnessed the truck approaching at high speed, prompting warnings from onlookers, but the driver was already trapped in the middle and unable to dodge it,' Kasoma explained. 'The truck overturned and landed on the vehicle, and unfortunately, it took hours for the police rescue team to arrive."
Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, said the victims include Junior Watiti Kenneth, 38, lecturer at International University of East Africa, a resident of Wamala zone in Nabweru who died on the spot, and Peace Kobuhwezi, 40, a businesswoman and resident of Katooke B Cell, who survived with severe injuries.
Onyango said that thorough investigations are still being conducted to determine the actual cause of the accident as the hunt for the Fuso driver which has started, continues.
“The investigations will determine because the Fuso driver is on the run," Onyango said. "This incident serves as a reminder to prioritize road safety and vehicle maintenance.”
Uganda has witnessed a series of fatal accidents involving heavy trucks failing to brake and colliding with other vehicles in congested traffic, the most memorable being of city lawyer Raphael Okiot lost his life in April this year. The tragic incident occurred when a Seyani cement mixer truck lost control, crashed into the median barrier, and overturned onto Okiot's car at the Nkumba University traffic lights along the Entebbe-Kampala expressway.
Mr Joseph Kato graduated with a Master's Degree of Art in Journalism & Communication on February 02, 2024 at Makerere University. He holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Journalism and Media Studies which he attained in 2023 at Oslo Metropolitan University in Norway.
Mr Kato holds a Bachelors Degree in Mass Communication from Kampala International University. The Master's Degree studies and a decade of journalism practice have enabled Mr Kato to be one of the reliable researchers in areas of conflict, r