Mr Abdu Ssebwana, a boda-boda rider, who survived the inferno. PHOTO | BUSEIN SAMILU
Two days after the fuel tanker disaster in Kigogwa Trading Centre, survivors have spoken out. Abdu Ssebwana, a boda boda rider, recounted the tragedy that claimed 15 lives and injured several other people when the tanker, unable to be controlled by its driver, veered off the road, fell and caught fire.
“I was having lunch at a food kiosk across from the supermarket when I saw the tanker coming down the road. It looked like the driver had lost control. Moments later, it fell, and the driver quickly jumped out, warning people to run because it was going to explode,” Ssebwana recalled.
Despite the warning, people rushed towards the tanker with basins and jerrycans to collect the spilled fuel.
“I saw many people fetching fuel and decided to get some too,” Ssebwana added. He attempted to buy a five-litre jerrycan but found that all had been bought, so he retrieved one of the same amount from a nearby home.
“I squeezed in and fetched the fuel, filled the jerry can and left,” he said.
“After walking about five feet, I heard a loud explosion. I turned and saw the tanker had burst. The force pulled me back, but I ran with my fuel and later poured it into my motorcycle,” he added. Ssebwana is the man seen in a viral video holding a white jerry can near the tanker.
Another survivor, Abdurrahman Kisambira, a resident of Kigogwa, recorded viral videos of the incident. He was only metres away when the explosion occurred.
“I was filming as proof that people were stealing fuel, but minutes later, there was a huge explosion. Fire erupted, and I ran to save my life,” Kisambira said.
Residents praised 19-year-old Joseph Muwonge, who died trying to save five children playing at a nearby play station. Muwonge, described as selfless and hardworking, had worked at the play station for seven years, entertaining children.
His employer, Hassan Saazi, tearfully said: “Jose is irreplaceable. I asked him to close the shop when the tanker fell. He could have survived but chose to save the children.”
A victim, taxi driver Alex Ssendi, was buried at his ancestral home in Kavunza Village, Mattuga-Nansana Municipality.
Ssendi was remembered by his relative, Ms Hope Nakazaana, as the family's pillar, especially in caring for his ailing mother.
“We have lost someone irreplaceable,” she said, urging youth to exercise caution in similar situations. “Most of these people died because they were stealing fuel. The driver even warned them.”
Gombe Division Mayor Ronald Kasirvu called on the government to address the dangers on the Bombo-Gulu Highway.
“They should install humps here because vehicles move too fast, and people are working along the road. Fire brigades should also be stationed nearby to respond to incidents like this,” he said.
At the same burial, Mr Joseph Musoke, the chairperson of Buwambo Health Centre IV, urged the government to equip health centres to better handle emergencies.
“We received patients but couldn't do much due to a lack of medical equipment,” he said.
