Police hunt driver in Nkumba bus crash

The traffic police spokesperson, SP Michael Kananura, has said the Force has launched a manhunt for a driver of a bus that was involved in an accident last Friday.

The bus, carrying pupils of Trust Infant Primary School, Mpmedde, Nakaseke District, knocked a pick-up truck and crashed afterwards at the Nkumba traffic lights on the Kampala-Entebbe highway.

“The driver of the bus is currently at large and a police hunt is underway. The motor vehicles have been towed to Nkumba Police Station for further investigation,” Mr Kananura said in a statement at the weekend.

He added that the accident, which didn’t have any fatality, saw six pupils sustain injuries. The pupils were taken to a nearby medical centre for treatment.

Mr Tony Felix, a teacher at the school, said there were 58 pupils and eight teachers on the coaster that was heading for a trip first to Entebbe International Airport and would later proceed to Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, commonly known as Entebbe Zoo.

Black spot

According to residents that evacuated pupils at the scene of the accident, the same spot that claimed the life of counsel Okiot Raphael in April has become a black spot since drivers coming from the Kampala side rarely have a glance of the first traffic lights and only view the second lights at the Nkumba University stage.

Residents have called upon Uganda National Roads Authority to put in place warning signs for motorists exiting the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway, who normally drive at a high speed.

Surge in accidents     

In July, the World Health Organisation said there was a surge in road traffic deaths in the African continent, with nearly 250,000 lives lost in the year 2021. SP Kananura later told this newspaper that  “If you look at the causes of these accidents, it remains purely reckless driving...”

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