Njeru residents rebuke Police over delay in retrieving crash victims’ bodies from bagasse
The deceased included Namuwonge Hadijah, 40, from Kyabaggu Cell, and bodaboda rider Wakabi Umar, 48, of Naminya, whose motorcycle (UDT 170B) was also recovered.
Relatives to the deceased ones mourning after exhuming bodies of their beloved ones from bagasse heaps. (Credit: Emmanuel Balukusa)
BUIKWE - Residents of Njeru municipality in Buikwe district and grieving families of four road crash victims have condemned the Njeru Police for what they have called a sluggish response in recovering bodies buried under a heap of bagasse (residual waste material produced after the extraction of sugars from harvested sugarcane) after a deadly crash.
The delayed retrieval, which forced locals to dig through the sugarcane residue themselves, has sparked outrage over 'systemic negligence and poor emergency preparedness'.
The fatal accident occurred on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, night along the Jinja–Kampala highway near Kaganda’s estate.
A Fuso truck (UBK 622C) carrying bagasse overturned, colliding with a commuter taxi (UBB 059N) and a Coaster bus (UAG 221P), before spilling its cargo across the road and into a drainage channel.
The wreckage buried victims and vehicles under tonnes of bagasse, triggering a traffic standstill.
Three days later, frustrated bodaboda riders and residents of Nava Village, led by LC1 chairperson Senyonga Madiru, approached the Police to request permission to excavate the debris.
After initial refusal, authorities relented, and locals used hand tools to dig through the mess, only to discover four lifeless bodies.
The victims included Namuwonge Hadijah, 40, from Kyabaggu Cell, and bodaboda rider Wakabi Umar, 48, of Naminya, whose motorcycle (UDT 170B) was also recovered.
Hadijah had been returning home from Nile Market with her children after buying shoes when the crash struck.
Residents lambasted the Police for initially dismissing reports of missing persons.
“They claimed only three were injured, not a single death,” one villager fumed. Despite repeated appeals, no emergency teams or heavy machinery arrived, leaving families to undertake the grim task themselves.
Njeru division Police commander Hussein Mugarura later assisted in transporting the bodies to Jinja Hospital mortuary but offered no financial aid. Grieving relatives, unable to cover mortuary fees, received assurances that costs would be waived.
Local leaders blamed the road crash on the deteriorating highway and the absence of dedicated lanes for heavy trucks.
“The road is a death trap,” Taxi Operators’ Association chief Ibrahim Ssewanyana said, urging repairs and segregated routes for trucks carrying bagasse. Residents threatened to block the highway until an excavator arrived, which finally cleared debris by evening, though no additional bodies were found.