Police attribute crash that killed tycoon Aponye to stationary lorry

The Police in Rwizi region in western Uganda have said a stationary lorry that had developed a mechanical fault caused the crash that claimed the life of tycoon Apollo Nyegamahe, who was better known as Aponye.

The crash happened at around 9pm on Thursday at Itojo along the Mbarara-Kabale highway in Ntungamo district.

The vehicle in which Aponye was travelling (Land Cruiser registered as UBF 300Z) rammed into the Fuso lorry (UAZ 767D).

Aponye died on the spot.

A statement issued by Samson Kasasira, the Police public relations officer for Rwizi region, said that two other people involved in the crash were rushed to Mbarara Hospital for emergency treatment.

Aponye's body was taken to the nearby Itojo Mortuary for a postmortem examination.

According to Kasasira, preliminary investigations indicated that the wealthy businessman was heading in the direction of Kabale.

Police condoled with the family of the deceased.

Moments after the crash, some people nearby arrived at the scene, with some sharing photos of the road carnage on social media platforms. Police teams arrived at the scene not long after.

The crash affected traffic on the route for some time, before the roadway was cleared for normal traffic.

Aponye was one of the leading grain dealers in Uganda as well as an exporter.

A renowned manufacturer, he also owned a chain of commercial buildings, warehouses, supermarkets, as well as long-route trucks and trailers.

The late tycoon, who hailed from Muhanga in Rukiga district in western Uganda, is said to have worked his way up from a turnboy to the wealthy businessman that he was.

At the time of his death, Aponye was the National Resistance Movement (NRM) district chairman for Rukiga, a position he had held since 2021.