Gateway officials grilled over Nimule accident

The traffic police  and Transport Licensing Board(TLB) officials on Wednesday  grilled  the  top management of  Gateway  bus company over the  Nimule accident  that claimed  lives of three passengers , four of their staff and injured several passengers.

Five passengers are still nursing wounds in different hospitals following last week's Nimule  head -on collusion  involving  two sister buses of Gateway bus company.

Three of them were transferred from Nimule hospital in South Sudan to Lacho in Gulu and two in Nakasero Hospital, Kampala.

Abdirahman Abdru, the director of Gateway Bus Company said they are taking care of all the medical expenses for the accident victims.

Their  report  to  TLB and  the traffic  police  about the  cause of the accident  said all  their  drivers were  licensed  and that problem arose  from  the  pothole  in the sharp corner which both drivers were trying to dodge.

John Mutenda (L), chairman Transport Licensing Board and the traffic police officers during the meeting with the Gateway Bus company top management and its drivers

 
However, Patrick Mugisha  in charge of bus accident  investigations in TLB said  the  accident could be avoided  if  the drivers were not speeding  or well versed with the  traffic  rules in South  Sudan.

He said  the information they got  from their counterparts  from South Sudan revealed  that the bus driver from Uganda heading   to Juba  maintained the  left hand side as  opposed to the right  hand side that is required in South Sudan .

Richard Nabengera who was driving  the bus registration number UAU 251S from Uganda to Juba  could  have  forgotten  to keep right at Nimule and collided with   the sister bus registration number  UAX 716J from Juba to Kampala driven by Daniel Kirunda .

Winstone Katushabe, the secretary  TLB said  Gateway  did not have  data  for all  their bus drivers  and some of them had migrated  from  other  bus companies   for reasons  that management  did not bother to find out.

He also said Gateway runs a fleet of 39 buses including  those plying interstate services   but  with  limited  number of  drivers  as  required  by  the laws  governing the  industry.

John Mutenda,  chairman TLB  said whatever  bus company  that  gets  involved in accident  that  claims  lives must be  investigated  to  find out the  genesis  of the problem.

"Some drivers don't get enough time to rest because of the pressure from their supervisors. Any interstate bus must have two drivers," said Mutenda.