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Driver on the run after hitting Ugandan pilgrims

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Israel Ojoko
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Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said they plan to prosecute the driver once he is arrested.
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Image Credit: Monitor

The police in Uganda are looking for Yusuf Magwa, the driver of a vehicle that hit a group of pilgrims on their way to Namugongo in Jinja last week. The vehicle, a garbage truck, was found hidden in Bugembe, a Jinja suburb.

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Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said they plan to prosecute the driver once he is arrested.

Accidents mar pilgrimage

The accident left seven pilgrims from Bugiri Catholic parish in Bugiri District in critical condition. They were part of the hundreds of thousands of faithful who walk to Namugongo every year to commemorate the Uganda Martyrs, who were killed by Kabaka Mwanga II in the late 19th century for refusing to renounce Christianity.

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Not the first time

This is not the first time that pilgrims have been involved in accidents on their way to Namugongo. In 2019, four Kenyan pilgrims were killed and ten others injured when a commuter taxi knocked them at Waina village in Mayuge district. In 2022, a 53-year-old pilgrim died after being hit by a vehicle at Akegeto village on the Mbarara-Masaka highway. The years 2020 and 2021 did not register any cases due to the Covid-19 lockdown that restricted public gatherings.

The police have urged motorists to be careful and respectful of the pilgrims, who often walk on the side of the road. They have also deployed officers to escort and protect the pilgrims from any harm. The pilgrims, who come from different parts of Uganda and neighbouring countries, usually take several days to reach Namugongo, where they join other Christians for prayers and celebrations on June 3.

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