Africa-Press – Uganda. Police were by press time still holding the driver of Buhweju County MP Francis Mwijukye for a possible charge of reckless driving, which led to the death of three people.
Mr James Barekye, 47, was chauffeuring his boss and wife together with another unidentified occupant when their Land Cruiser Prado with a personalised number plate knocked two pedestrians dead and injured a motorcyclist.
This happened at Mbizzinya –Kyengera Village near Buwama Town on Kampala –Masaka highway at around 6pm on Sunday.
The legislator was heading to Kampala.
The motorcyclist, who police had not yet identified by press time, also died upon arrival at Gombe Hospital.
Police identified the two pedestrians who died on the spot as Florence Nabukenya,13, and Tadeous Lubyayi, 9, both from the same family, and residents of Mbizzinya Village in Buwama Town Council.
All the four occupants in Mr Mwijukye’s vehicle sustained minor injuries, according to police.
“The driver was arrested first and kept in our custody, but later complained of body pain and was taken to Nkozi Hospital for a medical checkup but still under our guard,” Ms Lydia Tumushabe, the Katonga regional police spokesperson, said.
She said Mr Barekye’s case file had been forwarded to the regional state attorney for advice on which charges to prefer against him.
According to a witness, Mr James Mulindwa, some angry residents attempted to lynch the occupants of MP Mwijukye’s car but they were saved by police.
“The MP’s driver was speeding and it appeared like he was chasing a convoy which was ahead of him. He first knocked the two children before ramming into a motorcycle,” he said.
Ms Tumushabe blamed the accident on speeding.
When contacted last evening, Mr Mwijukye gave a different version of the accident, saying it was the motorcyclist who suddenly joined the highway and rammed into his vehicle, which swerved off the road and knocked the children.
“…we survived by the grace of God. A boda boda cyclist joined the road suddenly on the highway,” he said.
Trend
Despite looking smooth, Kampala -Masaka highway has remained one of the most accident-prone highways in the country, registering between 200 and 300 fatalities annually. At the height of accidents on the highway in 2015, which claimed the lives of former Miss Tourism finalists and an employee of NTV-Uganda, MPs demanded for a probe into the road designs and construction of the highway.
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