Two survivors of Kagadi road crash narrate ordeal, seek financial help

Following a devastating road crash in the Muzizi forest of Kagadi district that claimed 18 lives on Sunday night, July 16, two miraculously surviving individuals are now seeking financial aid to cover their medical expenses.

The survivors, Ms Ithungu Peruth, 55, and Mr Bwambale Kiwoma, 34, both residents of Rwensade parish in Kyabarungira sub-county, Kasese District, shared their harrowing ordeal and desperate need for assistance, having resorted to herbal medicine due to financial constraints.

They were traveling in a taxi with the registration number UBM 426V when it collided with a trailer marked UAD 431Q.

According to their account, they boarded the taxi in Fort Portal city, intending to travel to Kagadi District. Mr Bwambale and his mother occupied the last seat in the already crowded taxi carrying over 15 passengers.

"We left Fort Portal at exactly 5:30 pm, and I believe there were around 20 people in the taxi. At approximately 8 pm, as we were approaching the sharp corner of Nyanseke, the trailer, coming from Kagadi, crashed into our taxi. I saw the trailer heading towards us and immediately prayed to Jesus, fearing for our lives," narrated Mr Bwambale.

After the collision, M. Bwambale lost consciousness and regained it only at Muhorro Community Health Center, where he was receiving treatment. He expressed gratitude to the unidentified person who rescued him from the crash scene.

At the hospital, it was discovered that Mr Bwambale had a broken left arm and a dislocated right leg. Unfortunately, two other survivors admitted to the same medical facility did not survive, leaving Mr Bwambale and Ms Ithungu as the only survivors from the taxi.

With no means to afford medical care at a private facility, both survivors sought help from traditional healers.

They are in Kataraza village, Kyenjojo District, at the home of a traditional healer. Their plan is to raise enough money to seek treatment at Kilembe Mines Hospital in Kasese District.

Describing the ordeal, Ms Ithungu, who is in severe pain, attributed their survival to God's mercy. She recounted waking up in the hospital, alongside her son, without any memory of how they got there after the accident.

Fearing for their lives due to a lack of proper medical care, they are appealing to the government for assistance.

In a police report released by the Albertine Regional Police Spokesperson, SP Allan Julius Hakiza, it was stated that the driver of the trailer failed to stop, resulting in the collision with the taxi.

The crash claimed 18 lives, with three unidentified bodies still remaining unclaimed at Kagadi Hospital mortuary.

The victims of the tragic accident have been identified as Joviya Tusiime Rashida, Irene Abitekaniza, Ruth Mbabazi, Joyce Kubanza, Turyamushanga Kasharaba, Agnes Komujuni, Esther Ahebwa, Oliver Basemera, Wako John, Henry Kagaba Kasajja, Agnes Kebirungi, Pius Bisoborwa, Hosea Musisi, Baingana Coleb, and Ategeka Nuriat, among others.

As Ithungu Peruth and Mr. Bwambale Kiwoma continue to face the challenges of recovery and medical expenses, they earnestly appeal for financial assistance.