Joseph Mazige
6 November 2009
Poor judgement on the part of a bus driver and speeding sent a bus on the ground, leaving one dead and about 36 hospitalised.
The accident happened at Nsungyezi trading centre about eight miles from Mbarara Town early yesterday morning.
There were 70 passengers on board.
One of the survivors said the bus driver (Mr Bashir Tero) overtook a saloon vehicle that seemed to have thugs plotting to rob them. In the process, he lost control and the bus overturned in the middle of the road.
The bus that regularly plies the Kampala-Kisoro route and belongs to Bismarkan Coaches Bus company was speeding at the time of the accident, the Police told Daily Monitor.
"That bus was being driven at a high speed. It passed here and I wondered whether the driver was being fair to the lives he was carrying," said a policeman, who declined to be named because he is not authorised to talk to the press.
Another survivor, Mr Elias Kaguriro, told Daily Monitor that the bus was filled beyond capacity, leaving so many passengers standing in the alleyway. The Regional Police Spokesperson, Ms Polly Namaye, identified the dead as Venney Ngabirano, a resident of Nyarubuye in Kisoro District.
By press time the injured had been admitted at Mbarara Hospital. Among them were unidentified mother and her one-year-old baby who were in comma. The baby lost her left arm. Their next of kin had not arrived by the time of filing this story. Mr Innocent Mugisha, an eyewitness, commended the Police for their fast response.
"The Police was here within 20 minutes and helped take the injured to hospital."
When Daily Monitor visited the hospital, the medical staff was overwhelmed with the big number of the survivors. Noticeably, there were no gloves, cotton and other consumables needed to handle the blood stained survivors.
No supplies
The medical staff that talked to Daily Monitor said the hospital has been running for some time without the basic medical equipment.
"We have asked some of their relatives to buy gloves," said one of the medical staff who preferred not to be named for fear of reprisal.
Efforts to seek a comment from the hospital Medical Superintendent, Dr Placid Mihayo, proved futile.
According to the latest international road carnage figures, Uganda has the highest fatality rate in East Africa at 122 per 10,000 vehicles followed by Tanzania at 111.
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