Three people have died and at least seven others were critically injured after a sugarcane-laden truck overturned along the Jinja-Kamuli Highway at Nawanyago Trading Centre in Kamuli District on the evening of May 7.
The accident occurred around 5pm and involved a Tata truck, registration number UBM 106Q, which was transporting sugarcane from Kamuli District to Jinja.
Witnesses and police say the driver lost control of the vehicle, which then overturned and crushed several passengers who had been riding atop the heap of sugarcane.
The deceased were identified as Nicholas Koozala, 25, of Itukulu–Bukaya Zone in Nawanyago Sub-county; Derick Kibikyo, 16, of Bukula Village, Nawanyago; and Asad Ssajjabi, 26, from Buwolero–Mawolero Zone in Buwenge Rural, Jinja District.
Seven others sustained serious injuries and were rushed to various medical facilities in critical condition. The identities of the injured had not been released by press time.
According to preliminary investigations, the truck was heavily overloaded, and the victims had been precariously seated on top of the sugarcane—a common but illegal practice in the sugarcane transport industry across the Busoga sub-region.
Police say the driver fled the scene immediately after the crash and is currently on the run. A manhunt has been launched to bring him into custody.
The incident adds to a growing pattern of fatal road accidents involving sugarcane trucks in eastern Uganda, particularly in Busoga, where many transporters routinely ignore safety protocols.
Riders, often young and unprotected, are frequently seen clinging to the tops of overloaded vehicles, sometimes with nothing more than a sugarcane stalk for grip.
Local leaders and law enforcement officials have called for immediate and tougher enforcement of road safety measures.
“We continue to witness preventable tragedies because transporters flout basic safety standards,” police said in a statement. “Those found violating traffic laws will face the full force of the law.”
Efforts to regulate the transport of sugarcane have often stalled due to weak enforcement, collusion between operators and local authorities, and the pressure to deliver cane to factories quickly to avoid spoilage.
Civil society actors have repeatedly raised concerns over the lack of accountability following similar crashes.
Residents of Nawanyago say this is not the first time such an accident has occurred along the same stretch of road.
“We have complained about these sugarcane trucks speeding and overloading, but nothing changes,” said Charles Wandera, a local shopkeeper. “Now three families are mourning, and more people are in hospital.”
As emergency services continued clearing the wreckage, police urged transporters to stop endangering lives for profit. The truck remains impounded at Nawanyago Police Post as investigations continue.