Six killed in Nakasongola as two vehicles collide

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Six people have been confirmed dead and six others injured after a collision involving two vehicles along the Kampala–Gulu highway.

The crash occurred on June 8, 2025, at around 8:30pm in Kyalweza village, Wabinyonyi subcounty, Nakasongola district. The vehicles involved were a white Toyota Hiace (registration number UA 415AV) and a Nissan SUV (registration number UBL 615T).

In a statement issued on Monday, police spokesperson Sam Twiineamazima said preliminary investigations suggest that speeding was a factor in the accident. He noted that the Hiace had apparently “left its lane and collided with the Nissan, which was coming from the Gulu side, resulting in the fatalities.”

“When the police were notified, they responded immediately to examine the scene, registered a case of fatal accident, and recorded statements from eyewitnesses,” he said.

By press time, the injured victims were receiving treatment at Nakasongola Health Centre IV and Kiryandongo Hospital. The deceased were taken to Nakasongola Health Centre IV for postmortem examinations. The vehicles were towed to Katuugo park yard pending further inspection.

The incident comes amid the enforcement of new traffic regulations aimed at curbing the high rate of road fatalities in Uganda, which averages over 4,000 annually. A key change under the revised Express Penalty Scheme (EPS) is a sharp reduction in the time allowed for motorists to pay traffic fines—from 28 days to just 72 hours.

Under the revised EPS, drivers cited for traffic offences must now settle their fines within three days or face an automatic 50% surcharge. This replaces the 2004 policy that allowed a 28-day grace period before penalties increased.

Officials from the Ministry of Works and Transport said the new measures are intended to reinforce discipline among road users and improve fine collection. According to the Uganda Police Force, EPS revenues in 2024 amounted to sh40 billion, just shy of the sh41.2 billion target.

The revised scheme also introduced a new set of penalties: fines of sh200,000 for exceeding the speed limit by 1–30 km/h, and Sh600,000 for exceeding it by more than 30 km/h. Drink-driving now attracts a fine of sh500,000, accompanied by a mandatory court appearance and possible licence suspension. Careless driving incurs fines ranging from sh1.2 million to sh1.8 million and could result in imprisonment for one to three years.

However, the implementation of these stricter measures has drawn criticism from the transport sector. Drivers and stakeholders argue that the government has not put in place adequate infrastructure to support fair enforcement, particularly pointing to the lack of road signage, including speed limit indicators, which they say could lead to arbitrary penalties.