Three people have been admitted in Matany and Moroto hospitals in a critical condition following an accident this Wednesday afternoon at Nadunget village, Moroto district.
The accident occurred eight kilometres from Moroto town, along Moroto-Soroti road.
Police say a Ford truck registration number UAB 227X was heading to Soroti town with an unspecified number of travellers.
The victims have been identified as Hassan Makoba, a resident of Camp Swahili in Moroto Municipality; Micheal Olata, a resident of Abache village on the outskirts of Soroti Municipality and Denito Rockman, a juvenile from Kangole in Napak district.
George Obia, the Karamoja Police Public Relations Officer, attributes the accident to bad driving on the corrugated road sections. Obia appeals to drivers to always ensure that their vehicle door locks are secured before they drive on such roads.
Obia adds that since the beginning of the year, six cars have rolled and injured the occupants as a result of careless driving over the corrugated road.
He says that the Police in Kangole town council, Napak district have arrested the driver Angello Loputh as investigations continue.
According to an eyewitness, a panel of a wing door of the open box semi-trailer flung open shortly before the accident.
Longok Apangakwara says the wing doors opened as the truck driver struggled to go over the corrugation caused by incessant rains in Karamoja. He explains that travellers fell out of the truck without the driver’s knowledge.
Rebecca Ezatiru, a Moroto district official who had her car roll as a result of the corrugation recently, says the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) should at least grade the road. She expresses fear of travelling along the Moroto-Nadunget stretch because of her nasty experience.
George Mwidu, a UNRA official, cautions drivers against over speeding on corrugated roads explaining that the sections will be worked upon once the rains ease.
