Manhunt after 14-year-old girl killed in Luwero hit-and-run

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Police have appealed to the public for information that could lead to the arrest of a driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run along the Kampala–Gulu highway.

The incident, which occurred at around 7:30am on Monday, April 14, in Ngogolo village, Butuntumula sub-county, Luwero District, resulted in the death of a 14-year-old girl, according to authorities.

Savannah Region Police spokesperson Sam Twiineamazima confirmed the accident involved a silver Toyota motor vehicle with registration number UBH 003Z, which was being driven by an unidentified person.

The victim was identified as Eunice Nakito, a resident of Ngogolo village.

In a statement issued on Monday, Twiineamazima said the vehicle was travelling from the Gulu side toward Kampala when the driver lost control and knocked the girl, who was walking off the road.

“Police were notified and they responded immediately, examined the scene, and registered a case of fatal accident,” he said. “The victim was rushed to Luwero Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.”

The driver fled the scene but left the vehicle behind, which was later towed to Luwero Central Police Station's parking yard pending inspection by the Inspectorate of Vehicles (IOV).

Rising incidents

According to police, 82% of road fatalities in Uganda involve pedestrians and boda boda riders, many of whom are struck while walking along or crossing roads.

The 2024 Annual Crime Report highlights that of the 25,107 reported road crashes last year, 19.5% involved pedestrians. Rear-end collisions and sideswipes accounted for 16.2% and 17.7% of crashes, respectively.

Head-on collisions contributed to 13%, while angle collisions made up 10.5% of the total. Single-vehicle crashes represented 9%. Other incidents included vehicles hitting parked cars (1.6%), objects on the road (1.5%), off-road objects (1.8%) and animals (0.8%).

In total, 5,144 people were killed in road crashes in 2024—a 7% increase from the 4,806 fatalities recorded in 2023.