The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Mbale, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The usual horrifying trend of road deaths and injuries in December continued with 163 people having died and 573 nursing injuries sustained in motor vehicle and motorcycle crashes in a space of 12 days, according to traffic police records. in the first two weeks of the month , about 15 were thus dying on the road every day on average.
Assistant Superintendent of Police –ASP Faridah Nampiima, the traffic police spokesperson, said the first 81 people died in the six days from December 4th to December 10th. She added that 83 others died from Monday to Saturday of last week thus bring the total of road deaths in 12 days to 163.
The 83 people who died in road crashes last week include four police officers Pius Epodoi, Marvin Odong, Sulah Kadede and Micah Muhindo. THeir thuirteen colleague officers were left nursing injuries. These are Corporal Odong Jacob, PC Opio Junior Peter, PC Omara Keneth, PC Okello Daniel, PC Candia James, PC Okura George, PC Ochora Simon, PC Ekoju Vicent, PC Awuzu Vicent, PC Okwera John, PC Okure Abraham, and PC Torach Calvin who was the truck driver.
Patrick Okabe, the Serere County MP is the latest prominent victim of road crashes. He was killed alongside his wife Christine at 7am Monday. The duo died after the driver of an Isuzu truck drifted from his lane and rammed into Okabe’s Land Cruiser.
Nampiima said MP Okabe died on the spot while his wife breathed her last as she was being rushed to hospital. Even though earlier information on social media claimed that the driver had also died, Nampiima said he is alive but in a critical condition in Mbale hospital. Most of the victims in the last two weeks have been Bodaboda riders and their passengers. By September 30, Bodaboda crashes had killed 1,020 people this year.
Siraje Mutyaba, the chairman of boda boda in central division, said they have been conducting sensitization programs through stage chairpersons aimed at making riders understand that they are responsible for their own lives.
“We have told them to be peaceful, to respect one another on roads and ensure they don’t cause any chaos. We are using the chairpersons of Bodaboda stages to talk to them and we want to have a peaceful Christmas and New Year’s period,” Mutyaba said.
December has for years is been known for having the highest number of crashes among the twelves months that make a year. Although the national daily deaths of Ugandan roads stand at 10 people, the December fatalities tend to range between 12 and 14.
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