The horrific incident occurred at around 10:00 pm on Monday June 23, at Lwaba Village in Kapyanga Sub-county.According to police reports, a Toyota Hiace commuter taxi, registration number UBQ 772A, en route from Kampala to Tororo, collided with a trailer—KBM 175S—transporting a container from Malaba.
Busoga East Regional Police spokesperson, Mr. Michael Kafayo, revealed that a reckless motorcyclist attempting to overtake the taxi may have triggered the deadly sequence of events.
“The motorcycle, which was headed in the same direction as the taxi, lost control during an overtaking attempt. In trying to avoid hitting it, the trailer from the opposite direction swerved, lost control, and its container detached, landing directly onto the taxi,” Mr. Kafayo explained.
The impact was catastrophic. The taxi was flattened beneath the weight of the container, instantly killing several passengers, including the driver.
Two individuals believed to have been on the motorcycle were also discovered crushed beneath the container.
Emergency responders rushed six severely injured victims to Bugiri Hospital.
According to Dr. Anthony Wamusu, the hospital’s medical superintendent, four of the most critical patients were transferred to Jinja Regional Referral Hospital for advanced care.
“Currently, we have only one patient still admitted here. The others are being monitored in Jinja,” he stated.
As of Monday afternoon, police were still working to clear the mangled wreckage from the highway as investigations continued into the exact cause of the crash.
This tragedy adds to the alarming statistics highlighted in Uganda’s 2024 Annual Crime Report, which recorded 25,107 road crashes—a 6.4% rise from the previous year.
Most fatal accidents reportedly occur between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm, matching the time frame of this latest disaster.
The loss of life on Uganda’s roads continues to spark public outcry, with renewed calls for stricter regulation of commercial transport and more stringent action against reckless road users