A mother and relatives of a one-year-old girl child are stranded at Seeta Junior after the school driver knocked her child in Gulumwa, Goma division in Mukono district, wounding her fatally.
According to eyewitnesses, the driver identified as Wasswa had come to drop some children from the elitist Seeta Kindergarten and Junior, Mukono using school bus Reg no UAX 458E when he reversed into a family compound where the child was playing and he knocked her, injuring her fatally.
The deceased child sustained injuries on the head and left part of her little body. Ronald Kiggundu, a relative of the deceased, says that the child was in his compound playing with his son when he heard an alarm from a neighbor shouting the school driver has just knocked a child.
Abbas Kozala a neighbor says that he was at his home when the driver came knocking at his door and introduced himself as Wasswa. He went ahead to say that a child had been knocked and thought she was still alive and needed urgent medical attention then drove away.
“The man came and told me that he found a car had knocked a child and he got concerned,” he says. “I came out and rushed her to Mukono General Hospital where her mother later joined me. While at the hospital we were referred to Mulago where she died.”
However, he was shocked when he reached home to be told by one of the neighbors that the school bus driver is the one who knocked the child. He went to the Seeta police station and he was told the driver has just left but told them that he was only a good Samaritan making the report so nobody should allege that he knocked the child.
Carol Kawunda, the dead child’s mother, says that she is stuck with her child’s body and the school driver has since then denied the act.
“Witnesses say they saw the driver from the Seeta bus knocking my child however, the driver has denied and now my husband is stuck at Mulago hospital with no way of transporting our dead child…so we have decided to come to the school but we have been denied access.”
Kawunda’s sister who only identified herself as Winnie says that when they went to the police they were told a good Samaritan reported the case and they have not yet investigated their case.
“When we went to report our case to police the driver had already reported himself but only as someone who alerted one of the neighbors so that they do not think he knocked their child,” she says. “When we insisted the police have since been dodging us and refused to visit the crime scene.”
Koozala who also remained in touch with the driver says that he got confused when he received 500,000 Shillings from the driver on mobile money as compensation. “If he is innocent as he says he is then why doesn’t he have to send us compensation, as if 500,000 Shillings can return her life back!”
Meanwhile, Kawunda reveals that they have received threats from the driver and the school administration that the school belongs to a cabinet minister that so there is nothing they can do to them. But she has vowed that they won’t leave the premises until they meet the school administration over their issue. “These people have said that we are common people “omuntu wa wansi”, and that the school is for a minister government and there is nothing we can do so we should just leave,” she sobbed. “However, we are not going anywhere until they come to meet us. ”
The Officer-in-Charge of traffic at Seeta Police station, Robert Onzima, confirms the accident however, he says that they are delayed due to the contradictory statements made by the witnesses.
“We are also confused with the contradictory statements, however investigations into the matter have started, and I am heading to Seeta kindergarten to confirm whether it is the exact bus they reported because the school has a number of buses, before impounding it,” the police officer said.
The school management has since then given the gateman orders to deny anybody access to the school except parents picking their children.
–URN
