American dies in Kanungu road crash, five others injured

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Police in Kanungu district are investigating a fatal road crash involving four Americans that occurred at 7:00 am on January 27, 2025.

The Kakureiju Cell, Bweronde Parish, Kyeshero sub-county crash claimed the life of an American tourist and left five others injured.

According to the Police report (SD REF: 04/27/01/2025), a Toyota Land Cruiser, registration number UAM 271U, was descending from Bwindi towards Butogota when it entered a sharp corner and plunged into Kyeshero Bridge after the driver failed to break and lost control of the vehicle.

The deceased was identified as Shuldman Harrison Evan, 40, from New York, US, according to Police, who also identified the driver as Alpha Dadaire, 33, from Wakiso district.

The injured are Zachary Avayou, 39, of Pennsylvania; Jeremy Frederick Wright, 25, of California; Garten Kyla Margaret, 35, of California; Dadaire and Joan Akankwasa, 26, from Wakiso District.

“The deceased’s body has been taken to Bwindi Hospital and the victims were rushed to the same facility for treatment,” the report says.

The vehicle was towed to Kihihi Police Station for inspection and inquiries into the cause of the crash are ongoing. Police confirmed a rough sketch of the scene and photographic evidence was obtained.

Last year, the Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety reported that there was a 15.5% increase in traffic offences registered by the directorate, rising from 456,993 cases in 2022 to 528,025 in 2023.

This uptick indicates the growing challenges faced by authorities in maintaining road safety standards. Police is yet to release the 2024 annual crime and road traffic and safety report.

Then director of Traffic Lawrence Nuwabiine highlighted that the majority of crashes occurred between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm, indicating potential areas for targeted interventions to improve road safety during these hours.