Link Bus accident was a result of bad judgement

The fatal bus accident that resulted into the death of 26 Ugandans in Fort Portal district early this month was caused by poor judgement by the driver, Gen. Katumba Wamala, the Minister of Works and Transport has said.

He told journalists at the media centre this Friday that their investigations revealed that the bus driver, a 52-year-old with 20 years of driving experience, made a poor judgement while negotiating the corner while also trying to overtake a fuel tanker.

“Poor human judgement caused the accident. He decided to overtake a fuel tanker at a corner, at a high speed and on a slope. When he tried to negotiate the road, the bus failed to steady on the road,” Wamala said.

The accident took place at a tea plantation 13kms from Fort Portal town.

Katumba said the road was good and the conditions at that time were perfect. 

“The road condition was good, the weather was good, visibility was clear, and it was not a rainy day,” he said.

He said the bus was newly registered and a UBA series.

“There was no evidence that there was a part that had malfunctioned before the accident. The chassis and the body were intact,” he said.

He also noted that the driver was not overstretched since he had travelled to Bundibugyo district the previous day at 4pm and this was his return journey.

On the fateful day, he said, the driver was driving at an average speed of 90kms per hour.

Following the accident, the ministry suspended the Link Bus Services for two weeks, which Katumba said was intended to allow time for proper investigations including accessing the condition of the Link Bus fleet and the suitability of the drivers.

“Even if the suspension time has not elapsed, we have allowed them to resume operations again,” he said.

The Link Bus Services, Solomon Msimire, has said they have put in place measures to reduce future accidents. 

These range from refresher training of the drivers, strengthening their code of accidents and allowing the drivers enough time to rest, to putting in place safety inspectors.