NEWS:Founder Of Uganda's Top Secondary School Killed In Nasty Accident

By Our Reporter

The proprietor of Nile High School in Mukono District, Yesse Mubangizi Kamanyire and a boda boda rider only identified as Samuel Lukyamuzi have been confirmed dead following Masaka-Kampala road crash which left three other travellers seriously hurt.

Police said the Sunday morning accident occurred at Lweera when the driver of the vehicle, a Prado in which Mubangizi and three others were travelling, attempted to dodge the boda boda rider who was crossing from one side of the road to the other without indicating.

“The vehicle was moving from Masaka side heading to Kampala. The accident happened after a boda boda rider who was moving in front of the Prado turned from left to right without indicating. In the process, the Prado driver tried to dodge the rider and ended up losing control of the vehicle and knocked the boda boda rider, killing him on spot. One Yesse Mubangizi Kamanyire died moments after reaching Nkozi Hospital,” said ASP Faridah Nampiima, the traffic and road safety public relations officer.

The driver, William Tumusiime and two other occupants of the car, one Ephraim Kasagwa, 72, and Philemon Mugabi are currently admitted at Nkozi hospital where they are undergoing treatment after sustaining injuries in the crash.

“The cause of the accident has been attributed to the [42-year-old] boda boda rider who carelessly turned off from the road,” ASP Nampiima said.

Mr Mubangizi was returning from Bushenyi-Ishaka municipality where he -- as the chief guest -- presided over the installation of the Lions Club of Bushenyi leadership at a function held at Crane resort Hotel on Saturday evening.

During the event, Mr Mubangizi said he had attended five functions and was scheduled to attend another one in Kampala on Sunday morning.

"I came with my son, who is an engineer and some skillful driver. Whenever I am with him, I have no worries. I am praying that God strengthens him for this journey we are about to begin to Kampala because we have another function in the morning," said Mr Mubangizi before the end of the Saturday event.

In his message as chief guest, Mr Mubangizi urged the audience to serve humanity by feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and those in prison. He urged them to be kind because "what you do comes back to you."

At the end of his speech, he signed out in the holy Trinity (In the name of the Father, son and Holy Spirit). This attracted a nuanced feedback from the congregation that burst into laughter wondering why he had to sign out as a clergyman yet he is a lay man.

Police statistics

Uganda has continued to register high rates of accidents. Between 2006 and 2016, road crash fatalities increased by 25.9 percent (from 2,597 to 3,503) with the accident severity index of 24 people killed per 100 road crashes.

In 2019, 18,426 casualties were registered from road traffic accidents with Careless driving being the leading cause of road accidents (40 percent) and about 28 percent of road accident crashes occurred between 4-8pm, a time when critical health care services are slowing down.

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.

Ten people die daily in road traffic accidents, which is the highest rate in East Africa.

A 2016 study by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), USA found that crashes due to human error account for anywhere between 94 percent and 96 percent of all auto accidents.