By Sam Caleb Opio
Relatives of victims of the Busoga royal wedding accident have each received Shs5m in condolences from State House.
Kyabazinga William Gabula Nadiope on November 18 tied the knot with Ms Jovia Mutesi at Christ’s Cathedral, Bugembe, in Jinja North City Division, after which they treated their guests to a reception at Igenge Palace, also in Bugembe.
However, the celebrations turned tragic when a driver pursuing the Kyabazinga’s convoy from Kamuli to the Bugembe lost control and rammed into a crowd at Nawantumbi Trading Centre along the Kamuli-Jinja Highway, killing nine people and leaving 23 orphans.
The deceased include; Kevin Abbo, 40, Lubaale Waiswa, 37, Amisi Mutakubwa, a Primary Six pupil at Nawantumbi Primary School, Zalika Mutesi, 37, and Timothy Basooma, a three-month-old baby.
Others are; Emma Gwaalya, 10, a Primary Five pupil, Catherine Katono, 40, Godfrey Isabirye, 47, a boda boda cyclist and Stephen Waiswa, 40.
Earlier, Busoga kingdom, through the Chief Prince of Bugabula chiefdom, offered Shs1m to each family, before State House dispatched Shs45m to be shared amongst the families of each of the nine accident victims.
The Kamuli Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Ms Rose Birungi, her Deputy Ms Sarah Kasadha and Kamuli LC5 chairperson, Mr Maxwell Kuwembula, who handed over the money on a door-to-door basis, told the families that the money was a “token” from the President who shared their grief.
“Mzee (President Museveni) shares the grief and loss with the families of his Bazukulu (grandchildren); this is just a token of condolence as a father to support his Bazukulu and the widows over the unfortunate incident,” Ms Birungi said on Thursday.
Ms Birungi further assured the families that Ms Rebecca Kadaga, who is the Kamuli Woman Member of Parliament and First Deputy Prime Minister, was following up on facilitation for the survivors of the accident.
Mr Hamza Mudaagi, 55, a widower, appreciated Police’s efforts in apprehending the driver of the ill-fated vehicle, saying he prays that justice prevails, and thanked the Kyabazinga and President Museveni for commiserating with them.
He said he used part of Shs1m sent by the Kyabazinga to buy timber and some iron sheets to roof a structure from where his deceased wife ran a food kiosk and roadside petrol business, and will use the Shs5m to complete the structure and stock it.
