Summary:

• Two people died and eight were injured in a collision between a Fuso truck and motorcycles in Uganda. The truck driver fled, and investigations are ongoing. Road accidents are a significant problem in Uganda, with high human and economic costs.

Two individuals have been confirmed dead, and eight others have sustained severe injuries following a collision involving a Fuso truck and boda boda riders as well as pedestrians at Kawaala junction in Nabweru, Nansana Municipality, Wakiso District.

The deceased, whose identities were not immediately available, were identified by authorities as a motorcyclist and a passenger. The injured victims were promptly transported to Mulago National Referral Hospital after the incident occurred around 12:40 pm on Sunday.

Preliminary findings suggest that the driver of the truck, traveling from the Kazo direction, failed to stop at the junction, leading to the collision with the motorcycles involved.

The bodies have been taken to the Mulago mortuary for postmortem examinations, while both the truck and motorcycles have been taken to Nabweru Police Station for further investigation. The authorities are currently searching for the driver of the truck who fled the scene.

Tragic incidents like these are unfortunately not uncommon on Ugandan roads, with the police often attributing them to human error. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Uganda sees approximately 7,315 fatalities from road crashes annually, nearly double the number reported to the police.

A report from 2022, authored by Dr. Charles Ayume, Member of Parliament for Koboko Municipality and chairperson of the Health Committee in Parliament, highlights the significant financial burden posed by treating victims of road accidents in government regional referral hospitals. This underscores the broader health, social, and economic impact of road accidents on the country.