Ayume died at blackspot

May 18, 2004

THE Attorney General (AG), Francis Joash Ayume, was killed in a gruesome road accident at a black spot on the Kampala-Gulu highway on Sunday

By Steven Candia, William Muwonge And Frederick Kiwanuka

THE Attorney General (AG), Francis Joash Ayume, was killed in a gruesome road accident at a black spot on the Kampala-Gulu highway on Sunday.
The crash occurred at the infamous Kyankonwa bend, renown for fatal accidents.

On March 1, a senior Police officer on the team dispatched to investigate the Barlonyo massacre in Lira died in a road accident at the spot. It was among several other accidents at the spot.
Ayume was returning to the city after presiding over the Kinyara Golf Open in Masindi district. His bodyguard, Michael Geriga, also died on the spot.

The death of Ayume, an ardent golfer, comes hardly two months after that of foreign affairs minister James Wapakhabulo from whom he took over as speaker of the Sixth Parliament.
Ayume’s driver, John Odwee and his long-time friend Anthony Butele, a former MP for Madi Okolo, survived the crash, which occurred two kilometres from Katugo trading centre, Nakasongola.

They were rushed to Mulago Hospital in critical condition following their brush with death in the 10:30pm accident. Ayume was not travelling in his official vehicle, which had been taken to chauffeur delegates attending the African Development Bank conference, at the Speak Resort Munyonyo.

Police spokesman Asuman Mugenyi said Ayume was travelling in a Toyota Prado UG 0113J, which overturned after it was hit by a trailer apparently heading north.
“The driver of the lorry swerved to avoid a pothole but the trailer hit the AG’s vehicle,” Mugenyi said, adding that the stretch is heavily
potholed.

The mangled car remained at the blood-stained scene, littered with bloody gloves and broken glass.
The Prado flipped over several times, ejecting Ayume and his bodyguard out of the car.
Immediately after the accident, the Police threw dragnets on major roads to impound the killer lorry and arresting the crew.

Mulago Hospital deputy chief Gideon Kikampikaho said the survivors were in a stable condition.
Ayume, 64, a father of four and an LLB (Hons) holder from the University of East Africa, was last seen at Kinyara in a buoyant mood where he arrived at 2:00pm on Sunday.

He presided over the function where he is said to have talked for an unusually long time before giving away prizes at about 7:30pm.
He was later seen in the company of P. Kuruvilla, the chairman United Assurance Company, the main sponsors of the tourney, George Abola the chairman board of directors of Kinyara Sugar Works and Nicholas Okwi, the secretary Uganda Golf Union.

At 8:15pm, he summoned his bodyguard and the driver and talked to them briefly before they left. Two hours later, the news of his demise began filtering in.
The bodies were briefly kept at the resuscitation room of the casualty wing before being transferred to the mortuary at about 9:00am.

A post-mortem was to be carried out before they could be transferred to the medical school for embalming.
Butele and the driver arrived at the hospital at midnight, having been rushed there by a good samaritan on a ministry of works pick-up truck.

Both of them were admitted to ward 3B but Butele was transferred to Ward 6C room 20 yesterday morning. Ayume’s driver, who fractured the right hand, was wheeled to the casualty theatre at 9:00am.
Dozens of top government officials, relatives and friends trooped to the ward to comfort Butele, who in a white blood stained shirt, lay in bed with plasters on his hand. He said he was fine and out of danger.

However, in Butele’s room all the attention for some time was directed at his hypertensive wife, Joyce, who briefly collapsed after she was overwhelmed by the sight of her husband.
She was admitted on a bed besides that of her husband but regained her consciousness and strength later on.

“The doctors took three X-rays of me and found no fractures. I am okay and should be out soon,” Butele said as his eldest son, Caesar, looked on. His daughter, Cynthia, sat outside.
Butele said he survived by God’s grace.
“Immediately after the accident, I telephoned state minister for entandikwa, notifying them about the accident,” he said. “Everything had gone so well,” he added.
At 10:00am top government officials who included the national political commissar, Dr. Crispus Kiyonga, internal affairs minister Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda and his deputy Dr. Kezimbira Muyingo and Jacan Omach, the MP for Jonam county, led by Kikampikaho, visited Butele.

Butele was overwhelmed and tears welled in his eyes. Kiyonga took his hand and comforted him. “You will be fine. We will pray for you.”
Ayume served as the speaker to the sixth parliament from 1998-2001, he was state minister in the president’s office in 1998, lands and housing and physical planning minister from 1996-1998, a general manager Four Ways Group of companies from 1991-1994 and secretary of the Electoral Commission in 1985.

Other portfolios included; secretary in the office of the president in 1985, permanent secretary in the office of the prime minister from 1983-1985 and solicitor General from 1977-1981.

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