Five prisoners killed in Kitojo road accident

By Aloysius Byamukama

Five inmates from Kakika government prison in Mbarara have been killed and others injured after a lorry they were traveling on overturned.

The prisoners were being transported back to the prison from collecting firewood when the accident happened Monday evening at Kitojo along Kabwohe-Ishaka road.

Greater Bushenyi Police spokesperson Martial Tumusiime blamed the accident on the driver, who is believed to have been over-speeding, and eventually failing to control the vehicle.

The Fuso lorry was carrying 45 prisoners and four prison wardens. Police said two of the surviving inmates sustained serious injuries while the rest onboard were not severely hurt.

The driver of the vehicle escaped the scene of the accident, police reported, and remains at large.

The bodies of the dead prisoners were taken to Kabwohe Health Center IV in Sheema district and the injured men rushed to Mbarara referral hospital.