As road accidents reach 79 in a week, govt reconsiders vehicle inspection plan

Compensation to SGS, the company responsible for vehicle inspections, has reached 30 percent of the required 209 billion Shillings

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Seventy-nine-79 people lost their lives while  288 others sustained injuries in road accidents last week, the Uganda Police has revealed.

Michael Kananura, the traffic police spokesperson, emphasized that the majority of the victims were either motorcycle riders or pedestrians.
Kananura revealed that out of the 79 fatalities, 29 were motorcyclists, 23 were pedestrians, and nine were passengers on motorcycles or involved in crashes with other vehicles.

He attributed most of the accidents to careless overtaking and speeding, highlighting the need for heightened caution on the roads.

Among the tragic incidents was the death of lawyer Raphael Okiot, who perished at Nkumba when a truck carrying concrete collapsed onto his vehicle as he was en route to represent clients in court.

Law enforcement swiftly apprehended the truck driver, who attempted to flee the scene. Preliminary investigations indicated that the concrete truck was in a perilous mechanical condition.

In response to concerns about such accidents caused by vehicles in unsafe mechanical conditions, Waiswa Bageya, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works and Transport (MoWT), assured that steps are being taken to mitigate such incidents.

Bageya noted that compensation to SGS, the company responsible for vehicle inspections, has reached 30 percent of the required 209 billion Shillings. SGS terminated its contract with the government following parliamentary scrutiny, despite having already established six vehicle inspection centers.

The government aims to take ownership of these centers once full compensation to SGS is secured. In addition to the Nkumba crash, which claimed the life of Lawyer Okiot, a Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Major, Habibu Zamba, lost his life in an accident at Mabira forest.

Kananura urged all road users to exercise extreme caution, whether walking, riding, or driving, emphasizing the importance of road safety for all.

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