Kabale, Uganda | By Michael Wandati | Traffic along the Mbarara-Kabale highway came to a complete standstill on Saturday after a fuel tanker overturned and exploded at Kyanamira Corner, in Kabale District. The incident, which occurred around midday, left one person dead and caused significant damage to surrounding properties.
The tanker was traveling toward Kabale from Kampala and crashed while navigating a sharp turn. Witnesses Robert Shagama and Darius Twesigye reported that the vehicle veered off the road into a trench before erupting into flames.
“The tanker rolled and instantly exploded, with fire spreading to nearby kiosks and houses,” Shagama recounted.
The driver, identified as Geoffrey Onyango, 34, from Eldoret, Kenya, managed to escape the vehicle but sustained severe burns and collapsed while attempting to flee. He was later rushed to Kabale Regional Referral Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
Emergency responders, including Kabale police officers led by station chief Andrew Akanyijuka and district commander Joseph Bakaleke, struggled to contain the fire. Despite efforts using a police fire truck, the flames persisted, leaving traffic gridlocked for nearly three hours.
Tragically, the turn boy (an assistant to the driver), identified as 20-year-old Rogers Onyango, also from Kenya, did not survive. Police discovered his remains in the charred vehicle after the fire was finally extinguished.
Elly Maate, spokesperson for the Kigezi Region Police, confirmed the body was transported to Kabale Regional Referral Hospital for postmortem, with further arrangements being made to coordinate with Kenyan authorities and the victim’s family.
The stretch along the Mbarara-Kabale highway has seen similar accidents in the past. In April 2022, a fuel tanker overturned and exploded just 100 meters from the site of Saturday’s incident. The driver in that accident suffered burns but survived. More recently, a fuel tanker traveling from Kampala to Gulu overturned in Kigoogwa town, killing at least 17 people.
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This latest tragedy highlights ongoing concerns about road safety, particularly in areas with sharp curves and high-speed traffic.
The incident serves as a grim reminder of the hazards associated with transporting flammable materials through densely populated regions, where the risk to life and property is high.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident as they continue efforts to prevent further incidents on these dangerous routes.
