Toro pilgrims survive accident

By Luke Kagiri

Over forty five pilgrims returning to various districts like Kasese, Fort portal and Kyenjojo on Tuesday evening survived an accident when a bus in which they were traveling lost control and overturned.

The accident occurred at around 3.00pm at Kigalama, about ten kilometers from Mityana to Mubende.

Eyewitnesses said that the driver of the Link company bus, registration number UAQ 080T, lost control when he tried to dodge a boda boda cyclist who was crossing the road.

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The bus dirver was avoiding a reckless boda rider when the bus overturned. All photos/Luke Kagiri

“He almost knocked him but the cyclist narrowly survived. The bus veered off road and hit an embarkment, then overturned,” Joseph Mwanje, one of the traders from Kigalama, said.

Mwanje noted that the bus driver was not speeding, and this is why majority of the passengers survived without major injuries.

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Onlookers at the scene of the accident

Some of the boda boda cyclists at Kigalama however blamed the accident on the bus driver who they said was speeding.

They dismissed claims that the cyclist who was crossing the road was operating from Kigalama town and said he is not known.

Juma Mahadhi, the regional traffic officer for Wamala region said that most of the passengers in the bus did not sustain any injuries.

Mahadhi blamed the accident to the boda boda cyclist who he said was riding recklessly.

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Passengers board another bus after the one they were travelling in overturned

“We are still looking for the rider who is on the run, and good enough he was not injured. We are sure all the passengers on board are in good condition and they have got another bus to continue them to their respective homes,” he said.
 

Also on board were about fifteen traders who had traveled with their merchandise in the same bus. Police guarded the scene and protected the goods until they were transferred to another bus.

Henry Kizito, Link bus manager from Kampala blamed the boda boda riders who he said are causing many road accidents.

“A few days ago, one of our buses was involved in an accident caused by a bodaboda. We appeal to government to find a way of sensitizing them on how to use the road so that we can reduce on the accidents,” Kizito said.

He noted that most of the buses have speed governors and so cannot over speed.