Five student athletes dead in highway crash

A dark cloud has settled over the Ugandan sports community following a horrific road accident on Tuesday that claimed the lives of five students from Iki-Iki Senior Secondary School.

The tragedy occurred along the Mbale–Tirinya Highway at Jami, located within the Kamonkoli Town Council, as reported earlier by Sports Nation.

The students were en route to the Uganda Secondary Schools Sports Association (USSSA) football games at Kamonkoli Seed Secondary School in Budaka District.

According to eyewitnesses, the truck transporting the team, a vehicle with registration number UAP 443Z, suddenly lost control and overturned.

Five young athletes died instantly at the scene. Several other students sustained various injuries and were rushed to Mbale Regional Referral Hospital, where they are currently undergoing emergency treatment.

Authorities have moved swiftly following the crash. The driver of the truck has been taken into custody and is expected to face a litany of charges, including reckless driving, overloading and operating a vehicle in poor condition

The Iki-Iki SS team had been showing promise in Group D of the tournament. Just before the accident, they had secured a narrow 1-0 victory against Grace Comprehensive School, followed by a hard-fought loss to Bugwere High School.

They were scheduled to play Iki-Iki High School and Ngoma Standard School later that afternoon.

This loss is particularly stinging as it comes just days after a separate tragedy claimed eight lives from the Red Devo Football Club, including the club’s CEO, following their Uganda Cup exit.