By Aminah Namugenyi
At least four people were killed in the Kampala-Masaka Highway crash on Sunday morning.
The crash involving a bus Reg. No. UAW 561P belonging to Global Coaches and a saloon car Toyota Corolla Fielder Reg. No. UBL 270S happened at Nabusanke Trading Centre in Kayabwe at 11 am.
The driver of the Fielder and two occupants (female adults) died on spot while one died on the way to Nkozi Hospital.
The identities of the deceased persons are yet to be established by the police. All the occupants in the bus escaped unhurt.
The bus was traveling from Kampala to Mbarara in Western Uganda while the truck was coming from Masaka’s direction.
Ms. Susan Nakitto, an eyewitness blamed the crash on the driver of the bus who was trying to overtake other vehicles and hit the saloon car head-on.
“We were all shocked to see the bus moving from its lane and knocking the car which was coming from a different direction. The driver of the car tried to dodge the oncoming bus, but failed,” she said.
However, ASP Faridah Nampiima, the traffic police spokesperson, attributed the accident to careless driving by the driver of the Fielder which was coming from Masaka overtaking, hit a hump and rammed into the bus which was on its lane to Masaka.
A few days ago, ASP Nampiima urged motorists to exercise extra patience on the road during this festive season since traffic volumes increase on all highways.
“All enough time for your journey and let us avoid road rage,” she tweeted.
The recent road crash involving a Global bus along the same highway occurred on April 15 this year when a bus Reg. No. UAX 283A overturned at Nabyewanga Village in Mpigi District. Majority of the passengers on bond escaped unhurt, according to eyewitnesses.
Some who were terrified broke windows to escape. Passengers and road safety activists have always complained about the speed of Global Coaches which they say put the lives of road users in danger.
Mbarara-Masaka-Kampala road has remained one of the accident-prone highways in the country, registering between 200 and 300 fatalities annually.
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