By Micheal Atwakiire
Mbarara: On Wednesday 28 August, Transport in Mbarara paralyzed and costs increased due to the suspension of all Global coaches by Uganda transport Licensing board.
The suspension happened following a Global bus Tuesday night accident that claimed over five people at Kyabadaza in Butambara, Mpigi along the Kampala – Masaka highway, after one of their buses registration number UAZ 581U collided with a taxi number UBA 969W.
From Mbarara to Kampala other companies like SwiftSafaris, BabyCoaches, Kkingo increased their costs from 15000 to 30000.
According to some passengers, even the available buses of other companies had increased the fares from Shs20,000 to Sh30,000 for a journey from Kampala to Mbarara.
On the evening of Wednesday, the bus owners and the transport officials were in a closed meeting and indicated they were not allowed to talk to the media.
The latest statistics by police indicate that at least 3,500 people have been dying in traffic road accidents annually in the past three years. Below is a sneak peek into the accidents that have happened along the highway path.
August 27, 2019: Five members of the same family died on spot following an accident involving a Global bus which collided head-on with a commuter taxi from Masaka at kyabadaaza on Masaka-Kampala high way.
August 5, 2019: Two people were killed on the spot when a truck knocked a motorcycle at Mpambire, Mpigi district on the Kampala-Masaka high way.
August 5, 2019: An Isuzu truck registration number UAR 280X knocked a motorcycle killing a rider and the passenger on account of reckless driving.
May 22, 2019: At Masaka-Mutukula road, the Rwandan driver in Rwandan registered Land cruiser lost control and collided with the speeding truck that was carrying dozens of rice bags when occupants of the truck turned off the road into a swamp and died instantly.
April 26, 2019: Six people including the Resident District Commissioner (RDC)of Koboko district Isaac Kawooya perished in a terrible accident when he was coming from an inauguration ceremony of the Mbarara district khadi Abdallah Mukwaya. the ceremony was presided over by the president.
January 18, 2019: An over-speeding bus, Reg. No. UAY 097G, heading to Rukungiri district from Kampala, over-turned at Lwera stretch, about three Kilometers from Lukaya town. Luckily all 80 passengers on board, survived, with some of them sustaining minor injuries.
January 31, 2019: The Uganda Martyrs SS Namugongo, headteacher Fr. Henry Kasasa survived a motor accident at the Lukaaya trading centre in Kalungu District. He was travelling from Masaka to Kampala when a Premio registration number UAY652L that was heading to Masaka from Kampala tried to collide with Fr.Kasasa’s car to diverge off the road; failed and overturned.
January 22, 2019: Two people were confirmed dead and 30 others injured in a fatal accident involving five vehicles at Kiringete sub-county along Kampala Masaka highway in Mpigi district.
November 6, 2017: 13 Tanzania nationals and one Ugandan perished, and others sustained serious injuries on the Kampala-Masaka highway when they were returning home after attending a wedding in Tanzania.
December 31, 2018: Bamugu while travelling with his children were involved in a car accident on their way to Karumaga in Lwamenge, Kalungu to celebrate the New year with his mother.
November 12, 2018: Six people from the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Force (UPDF) narrowly survived death after the driver lost control and the car, they were travelling in from Makanke barracks in Mbarara overturned along Kampala-Masaka high way.
December 7, 2017: A trailer rammed into a taxi registration number UBB496D heading to Masaka left seven people seriously injured with broken limbs.
October 1, 2017: Mohammed Nshekanabo from Buikwe a Fuso driver and Kizito one was involved in an accident when a Fuso head on to an Isuzu at kyengera on the Kampala –Masaka high way.
