Grief has engulfed residents and National Resistance Movement (NRM) supporters in Ovujo Town Council, Maracha District, following the death of their newly elected party chairperson, Charles Adiga Lwanga, who was knocked dead by a district ambulance.
The crash occurred at about 7:40 p.m. on Monday at Ovujo Trading Centre along the Arua–Koboko Highway. According to police, Adiga, who was also a teacher at Koyi Primary School, was walking by the roadside when an ambulance belonging to Maracha District knocked him from behind as it was responding to an emergency. Police said the ambulance, registration number UG 3100268, had been dispatched to transfer a pregnant woman from Eliofe Health Centre III to Maracha Hospital.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the driver, Michael Chandia, attempted to avoid a stationary vehicle but veered off the road and hit Adiga. He sustained fatal injuries, including a broken neck, spine and left arm, and died at the scene. The ambulance driver and the expectant mother were not injured.
Ovujo Town Council LCIII Chairperson Philliam Buatre Thaddeus, who witnessed the incident, described the death as tragic and called on all road users to exercise greater caution and discipline.
Maracha District Vice Chairperson Bosco Asea described Adiga’s death as a major loss to both the district and the NRM, saying he had been an active mobiliser and committed party leader.
Dickson Drapari Nyomia, the councillor representing Kijomoro Sub-county and a close friend of the deceased, said Adiga’s death is likely to affect the party’s mobilisation efforts ahead of the ongoing Local Council elections.
Police said the ambulance driver has been detained at Maracha Central Police Station to assist with investigations, while Adiga’s body was taken to Maracha Hospital mortuary for a post-mortem examination. According to regional police statistics, about 10 road crashes are recorded every month along the Arua–Koboko Highway, with reckless driving cited as one of the leading causes-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
