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UPDF driver at large after knocking mother, daughter dead
People look on as police and Uganda Red Cross officials prepare to take away the bodies of the the mother and her daughter who were knocked by a speeding UPDF truck in Mbale City in eastern Uganda on December 17, 2021. PHOTOS/ YAHUDU KITUNZI
What you need to know:
- The hit-and-run accident happened along Mbale-Tororo road.
At least 43 people have been killed in motor accidents along Mbale-Tororo road in the last 10 months, according to police records.
A Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) driver is said to be at large after knocking a 41-year-old mother and her 9-month-old daughter dead.
Eye witnesses told this reporter that the mother, who police identified as Gladys Nambuya, a resident of Nauyo town council in Mbale City was riding on a motorcycle when a speeding UPDF truck registration number DO3 DF 099 attached to UPDF 3rd Division in Mbale District crashed her and her baby.
“That UPDF driver often drives recklessly. Can you imagine he was speeding in the middle of town! He crashed the mother and her baby after they fell off the motorcycle they were riding on,” Mr Joseph Bwayo, a boda boda rider at Sleeping Baby Stage in Mbale city where the accident happened told this reporter.
“Some of us foresaw this accident happen given the reckless manner in which that man drives that truck,” added Mr Moses Nagwere, another witness.
The Elgon region Police Spokesperson Mr Rogers Taitika told this reporter that investigations are underway to establish the actual cause of the accident.
“We have started investigating a hit-and-run fatal accident involving a motor vehicle attached to UPDF 3rd division in Mbale District and an unknown motorcyclist,”Mr Taitika said, adding that the truck is currently parked in the army barracks.
However, the scene of the accident was visited by police and traffic officers under the command of ASP Ruth Ngabire, the Mbale District Traffic Officer and team.
The bodies were conveyed to Mbale City Mortuary for postmortem as police continue investigating the case.
When contacted, Capt Edrin Mawanda, the 3rd Division spokesperson told this publication that the driver of the said UPDF truck had been arrested and detained at Bugema army barracks.
“We arrested the driver who caused the accident and is currently detained at Bugema army barracks to aid investigations. The boda boda rider survived the accident as he didn't have contact with the vehicle,”Capt Mawanda said on Friday afternoon.
When asked why they detained the suspect at the army barracks instead of Mbale central police station, Capt Mawanda only said “be calm.”
Police and Uganda Red Cross officials load the body of the victims on a truck
A police source in the traffic department at Mbale Central Police station who asked not to be named because he’s not authorized to speak to the media said the army authorities had ignored their pleas to hand over the suspect for questioning and possible prosecution.
“We have been pleading with them to hand over the suspect and the vehicle which caused the accident but in vain. Maybe they want to use their powers to kill the case and that is bad. This kind of impunity should stop. No one is above the law in this world,” the source said.
At least 43 people have been killed in motor accidents along Mbale-Tororo road in the last 10 months, according to police records.
Mr Taitika attributed the rise in accident cases to recklessness and indiscipline on the road.
“Our preliminary investigations found out that many motorists don’t know how to drive on the highway while others drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. There is also need to sensitize the people about these black spots,”Mr Taitika said.
According to him, the rate at which motor accidents are claiming lives on the road is alarming.
“All these accidents are caused by human error like bad driving, driving under the influence of alcohol, driving while talking on phone and failure to respect road signs and zebra crossings,” he said.
However, locals appealed to Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) to put humps, especially in spots where accidents have become rampant.
