Again! 16 Severely Injured As Valley Bus Overturns Along Gulu Highway
By Uganda Online Media
Police have started investigations into circumstances under which a speeding bus overturned injuring 16 passengers who were on board.
According to the traffic police spokesperson, ASP Faridah Nampiima, the accident happened at 10 pm on Monday night in Nakasongola when an Isuzu bus registration number UAR 655M belonging to Valley Bus Company Limited lost control and overturned.
“The Bus was coming from Gulu side heading to Kampala and it IS alleged that the driver lost control and overturned, causing serious injuries to 16 passengers who were on board. The cause of the accident has been attributed to reckless driving,” Nampiima said.
She noted that the injured victims were rushed to Nakasongola Health Centre IV, St Franciscan Health Centre IV and Kasana Hospital Luwero for medical attention.
The development comes against the backdrop of an increase in crashes on Ugandan roads involving buses.
This comes a week after a similar accident near Corner Kamdini saw a bus ram into a stationary trailer that was offloading cassava on the roadside killing over 19 and leaving over 20 seriously injured.
Traffic police on Monday said 79 people were killed and over 245 injured in road accidents in the fist week of 2023.
Police also revealed that going forward, all bus drivers will be required to have identification badges.
As a result, Nampiima explained that in every passenger bus, the driver must clearly display their photo, badge which has their name, permit number, class of the driving permit and the bus company to help police monitor the movement of buses.
Nampiima noted that badges are one of the initiatives to crack down on incompetent drivers since only qualified ones are issued with the badges.
“All companies are instructed to submit particulars of their drivers to the Ministry of Works and Transport for verification. No driver of a bus will be allowed on the road without a badge and if your badge is withdrawn, you will never be allowed to chauffer a bus in this country,” Nampiima warned.
She noted that badges will also help to avoid cases where drivers shift from one bus company to the other after causing accidents
