Truck Driver Kills Pedestrian, Flees the Scene in Rubanda

RUBANDA – Police in Rubanda District are actively hunting for the driver of a white Howo Sino truck with the registration RAF 5291/RL 3794 Trailer that knocked dead a 72 year Pedestrian in a tragic incident that occurred yesterday at Hamurwa Town Council.

The victim of the accident has been identified as 72-year-old Bukuru Thomas, a resident of Hamurwa cell in Hamurwa Town Council, Rubanda District. The unfortunate incident took place at approximately 11:30 AM within Hamurwa cell, Hamurwa Town Council, along the Kabale-Kisoro road in Rubanda District.

According to preliminary reports, the incident unfolded as the said vehicle, traveling from Kabale to Kisoro, encountered another speeding motorcycle traveling in the opposite direction on the same lane. This lane had experienced road collapse issues in the area.

In an attempt to avoid a head-on collision with the motorcycle, the trailer driver swerved towards the extreme side of their lane. Tragically, this maneuver led to a collision with a large stone, which had been placed by UNRA (Uganda National Roads Authority) as a protective barrier. The impact caused the stone to dislodge and strike the pedestrian, Bukuru Thomas, who was standing near the damaged portion of the road, resulting in his immediate death.

It has been reported that the same pedestrian had earlier taken evasive action by moving off the road to avoid being struck by the oncoming vehicle. However, the driver’s attempt to avoid the collision ultimately led to the vehicle losing control and veering off the road, ending up in the damaged road section.

Elly Maate, the spokesperson for the Kigezi region police, attributes the accident to careless driving and excessive speeding. He disclosed that the driver fled the scene before the arrival of law enforcement officers.

Maate further confirmed that the scene was visited by Asp Wakatuma, the District Traffic Officer for Rubanda, along with the assistance of IP Byarunga, the District Criminal Investigations Officer (DCIO), and the Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO), as well as members of the traffic team. The deceased’s body was transported to Hamurwa Health Center IV by vehicle UP 4678, where a postmortem was conducted and subsequently handed over to the relatives.

Additionally, Maate revealed that the motor vehicle involved in the accident was towed and is currently parked at the Rubanda Police Station, awaiting inspection by the Inspectorate of Vehicles (IOV). Efforts to locate and apprehend the driver are actively underway.