MUKONO: Vehicle knocks dead 12 year-old girl

Mukono, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police are hunting for the driver of a Toyota Hilux registration number UBK 108P, that knocked dead a pupil and injured four other people while crossing Kampala-Jinja highway in Mukono district on Wednesday morning.

Twelve-year-old Alice Sheila Namwanje, a former primary seven pupil of Naluse Primary School in Mukono Municipality was crossing from her home at Upper Kauga to the school found at Butebe cell together with her classmate, Jenipher Namatovu.

They were walking close to Paul Kalyango, a teacher at Naggalama senior secondary, and Diana Namulindwa, a senior two student of Bishop senior secondary school when the vehicle that was destined for Kampala ran over Namwanje.

Teopista Nakirijja, an eye witness says that vehicles from either side of the road had stopped to allow the pupils to cross but from nowhere the driver of the Hilux overtook other vehicles and knocked the minor dead.

She says that the driver attempted to park alongside the road but rammed into a boda Boda rider and immediately switched on the siren and sped off. The Boda boda rider whose identity wasn’t readily available is admitted in the Intensive Care Unit at Mukono General Hospital while Kalyango was referred from Ebenezer Medical Center to Mulago National Referral Hospital for specialized treatment and Namulindwa is still receiving treatment at Ebenezer Medical Center.

The Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Patrick Onyango has promised to give a detailed report about the incident after getting a postmortem report. Namwanje’s father, Charles Kalyango, says that his daughter died on the way to Mukono Church of Uganda Hospital for specialized treatment. He says that they initially managed to rush her to Bwino Medical Center but the health workers couldn’t manage her condition.

The community in Mukono has blamed the government for failing to control the impunity of people especially diplomats and government officials who misuse their right of way.

John Kiyimba, a resident of Kigunga says that there is a need for Uganda National Roads Authority-UNRA to revive the practice of erecting signposts along the road and creating pedestrian walkways.

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