Three MPs escape death in car crash

Aug 15, 2014

Three Members of Parliament survived with injuries when their vehicle was hit hard by a bus and a truck in Nakasongola.

By Hudson Apunyo

NAKASONGOLA – Three Members of Parliament survived with injuries when their vehicle was hit hard by a bus and a truck along the Gulu-Kampala highway on Thursday.

Two of the legislators were by Thursday evening being assessed by doctors at an AAR clinic in Kololo, Kampala, and are reportedly no longer in danger.

Julius Junjura Bigirwa, the MP for Buhaguzi County (Hoima district) and Alex Ruhunda, who represents Fort Portal Municipality (Kabarole district) were admitted with some injuries.

They were traveling with Lira Municipality MP Jimmy Akena at the time of the accident which occurred at Nakasongola.

Akena’s wife, who is also an MP, said he and the other two MPs were out of danger.

Betty Amongi (Oyam South) said her husband was “not feeling bad” following the crash, adding that Ruhunda complained of chest pain.

Moments after the accident, Akena wrote on his Facebook page that they had been “hit by a bus, rammed into a truck then hit by the bus a second time.” He said they were slightly bruised but “generally okay” and were on their way for medical checkup.

Their car – a Pajero – took a nasty hit, with its entire back end severely dented and rear window smashed out.

The MPs were returning to Kampala after accompanying Vice President Edward Ssekandi on a Karuma Dam assessment trip.

In total, they were five MPs representing the natural resources committee on the Karuma tour, Amogi told New Vision on phone.

Parliament’s Senior Public Relations Officer Ranny Ismail could not provide any details of the accident, saying the MPs’ phones were off when news of the accident reached her.

The stretch along Nakasongola is prone to accidents and several people have been killed and many injured in various accidents;

  • Last week, two people and eight cows died when the speeding truck they were on lost control and overturned
  • In May 2013, Chris Akena and Filda Obua Otim, the mother of former Uganda Cranes striker David Obua were killed in a motor accident
  • Two months later, 28 students of St.Theresa Girls' Secondary School in Masindi were injured after their school bus overturned
  • Later in September, three people died in a car crash along the same route as they returned to Kampala from Gulu. The car they were in rammed into a stationary truck on the road side
  • In October last year, at Nakitoma, a Kampala-bound vehicle belonging to Makerere School of Public Health collided with another, killing five people on spot
  • In May 2010, local musician Moses Ssali aka Bebe Cool survived death on the same route. He was with his wife. They were traveling from Lira when their car swerved off the road and rolled after its front tyre burst

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