Report: Villa burst tyre was worn out

Peter Kagolo’s 29-year experience as a driver was tested to its limits on Saturday when one of the front tyres of the SC Villa team bus he was driving burst.

Pandemonium ensued as screams of players and officials awoken from siesta rented the air, with the out-of-control bus zig-zagging on the Kampala-Gulu highway at Migyera in Nakasongola.

Kagolo reveals that he summoned all his tactical nous to veer the bus off the highway, before it crashed to its side.

“Because the bus has a speed governor, I was going at a speed of between 60km/h and 70km/h. It was the tyre below my seat  that burst, the players were screaming but I was duty-bound to save their lives,” Kagolo, a part-time farmer, told Daily Monitor.

Ben Misagga, the club vice-president in charge of mobilisation, said the bus is still at Namanve weight bridge awaiting assessment to ascertain the cause of the accident.

However, various sources at the club, have intimated to Daily Monitor that the front tyres were long past their road worthiness. 

This paper has also learnt that several officials, including head coach Petros Koukouras, had variously complained about the state of the front tyres but were ignored.

After years of rot and disrepair, Lt Khassim Nziraguhunga, the club general secretary, single-handedly fixed the bus to save the Jogoos from bleeding cost of transport.

At the time of the repair, all the six tyres were worn out and, according to Misagga, president Omar Mandela paid for the tyres, but somehow only four were availed.

“All I know is that Hajj Omar Mandela provided the money to buy the new tyres but I don’t understand why they bought only four and with foolishness put them at the back,” Misagga said. 

The damage assessment shows that not less than Shs15m will be required to repair the bus whose windscreen and front were severely damaged.

“The challenge of repairing the bus now lies on our shoulders as the executive, not Lt Nziraguhunga who repaired it recently,” Misagga added.

‘No serious injuries’

At least 11 players sustained minor injuries in the accident that occurred as the team was travelling to Gulu for Uganda Cup match and were taken to a nearby clinic for first aid before being taken to Medipal Hospital in Kampala for medical assessment.

“I got pain in my feet and in the waist because I had my seat belt on. I’ve been driving since 1993 but this was the first accident I was facing. I thank God that it went without a life lost,” Kagolo said.

Source said the bus had no insurance and that Villa have been trying to get the ownership card from State House since President Museveni donated the bus in 2015 on only managed to get it yesterday (Monday).

“At the moment, I can’t speak about the insurance issue but management is working on the players recuperation and bus repair, “ Villa acting chief executive Brenda Nambalirwa said.

Players out of danger

Of the 11 players who sustained injuries, new signing Sadam Juma and youngster Umar Lutalo were hurt most. 

“I’m now out of hospital and back home. I got shoulder pain which has eased since I was discharged from Medipal Hospital on Sunday. I was sleeping in the bus corridor when I heard the bang only to wake up when the bus had overturned,” Juma told Daily Monitor.

Like Juma, South Sudan defender Bernard Agele was also asleep.

“We had just had lunch in Luweero town and so most of us had dozed off. I sustained injuries although they aren’t serious. I thank God that I survived because I didn’t have seat belt on,” Agele said.

The Jogoos were set to play Super Eagles on Sunday but the Uganda Cup round of 64 match has since been postponed by Fufa.

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