One confirmed dead, six in critical condition following Mpigi road accident

The Police in Mpigi has registered the fatal accident along the Kampala-Masaka highway as involving motor vehicle registration number UBE 141A (Fuso Fighter) and a Toyota Noah registration number UAZ 401K.

The Fuso truck was loaded with matooke moving towards Kampala from Masaka while the Noah was going the opposite direction when the Fuso lost control and swerved into the oncoming lane that the Noah was using.

The Police confirm that so far one female adult has been confirmed dead and around six victims rushed to Double Cure hospital in not so critical condition. Masaka road has been notorious for grisly accidents over the decades.

In order to reduce accidents involving passenger service vehicles, the Ministry of Works and Transport in 2004 issued a statutory instrument on mandatory installation of speed governors to limit the speed of buses and trucks.

The move, however, encountered a number of challenges, including resistance from drivers and implementation issues and was consequently dropped in 2008.

Uganda has the highest road accident fatalities in East Africa. According to the Global Road Safety Facility, 61% of road crash fatalities and injuries in Uganda occur in the economically productive age groups of 15 – 64 years.

Uganda has a lead agency present, the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), Ministry of Works and Transport, which is funded in the national budget, and has a road safety strategy which is partially funded, but accidents on Ugandan roads seem to persist with reckless abandon.