Chaos and screams rocked Nawanyago along the Kamuli-Jinja highway after a Tata truck carrying sugarcane and passengers lost control and overturned, instantly crushing three people to death and leaving seven others injured.
The truck, reportedly owned by Bugiri Sugar Factory, was travelling from Kamuli to Bugiri when tragedy struck at high speed. Eyewitnesses say the victims had been dangerously seated on top of the sugarcane pile when the overloaded vehicle flipped, throwing them to the ground with brutal force.
The dead were identified as Nicholas Koozala, 25, from Itukulu Bukaya zone in Nawanyago; Derick Kibikyo, 16, from Bukula village in Nawanyago; and Asadi Ssajjabi, 26, a resident of Buwolero-Mawolero zone in Buwenge Rural, Jinja District.
Seven others were rushed to nearby health centres in critical condition, though their identities had not yet been confirmed by press time.
Busoga North Police spokesperson ASP Michael Kasadha described the scene as horrifying and confirmed that the driver had fled immediately after the crash.
“The vehicle was en route to Bugiri from Kamuli. We suspect speeding and dangerous loading practices contributed to the accident. Investigations are ongoing,” he said.
The bodies of the deceased were transported to Kamuli General Hospital mortuary for postmortem.
This latest accident adds to the growing tally of deadly road crashes in Uganda. The horror unfolded just hours before another fatal road accident in Kapchorwa District claimed the lives of nine cattle traders, intensifying calls for urgent reforms and tougher enforcement of traffic laws.
Locals are now demanding that sugar companies stop allowing people to sit atop cargo , a deadly habit that has repeatedly turned sugarcane trucks into rolling coffins.
