Two Dead as Brake Failure Causes Three-Car Pile-up in Mabira Forest

A catastrophic chain-reaction collision has left two people dead and seven others hospitalized after a truck suffered a mechanical breakdown in the heart of Mabira Forest. The accident, which occurred at approximately 7:40 a.m. on Thursday morning, April 9, 2026, has once again turned the Kinoni village stretch of the Kampala-Jinja highway into a scene of mourning.

According to the Ssezibwa Regional Police, the disaster was triggered by an Isuzu Elf truck (UAO 50BZ) headed toward Jinja. Investigations have revealed that the truck experienced a sudden brake failure, causing the driver to lose all steering control. The vehicle veered sharply into the oncoming lane, striking two separate Toyota Hiace taxis in quick succession.

The collision was high-impact and immediate. The first taxi (UBQ 729D) bore the brunt of the head-on strike, resulting in the instant death of its driver. A second taxi (UBR 511N) was hit with enough force to be shoved into a roadside trench, where it overturned, trapping several passengers within the mangled metal.

Hellen Butoto, the Ssezibwa region police spokesperson, has confirmed that the truck driver, identified as Paul Pande, has been taken into custody to assist with ongoing inquiries. The wreckage of all three vehicles has since been towed to the police station for further mechanical inspection.

Survivors and Emergency Care

First responders rushed seven survivors to Kawolo Hospital, where they are currently receiving treatment for various trauma injuries. The hospital has released the names of those under their care:

• From Jinja: Oguta David Junior (45)

• From Kampala: Kamale Badru (30), Musoke Medieval (40)

• From Busia: Sseluwagi Yusuf (45), Nakibule Flavia (27)

• From Entebbe & Buikwe: Mugenyi Emmanuel (30), Kyomugisha Shivani (19)

The bodies of the two deceased victims remain at the Kawolo Hospital mortuary pending post-mortem results and handover to their respective families.

This latest incident in Mabira Forest highlights a growing national crisis regarding vehicle maintenance. With Uganda losing an average of 15 people daily to road accidents, authorities have pointed out that “preventable” mechanical failures, like the brake issues seen in this Isuzu truck, are becoming a leading cause of highway fatalities.

Police have renewed their calls for transport companies and private owners to conduct rigorous pre-trip inspections, especially for heavy-duty vehicles traversing the steep and winding sections of the Jinja-Kampala corridor.