Amid government orders to file report on Kigogwa tanker explosion

The Speaker of Parliament charged the government to promptly table before the House an incident report on the tanker explosion that devastated the Kigogwa shopping center on the Kampala-Gulu highway on Tuesday.

The northbound tanker overturned before catching fire which engulfed the area, destroying several shops comprising hardware, stationery, salons and restaurants, worth millions of shillings.

Kigogwa is about 25.5 kilometers, or an hour’s drive, on the Kampala-Gulu highway. Police said yesterday that the death toll from the inferno had risen to 15, with another 24 people fighting for their lives in hospitals and clinics.

Ms. Anita Among, in her opening remarks at a plenary session that began at 10 a.m. yesterday, expressed sympathy for the victims and those still nursing injuries caused by the fire.

“Such incidents highlight the need to educate our residents about public safety during such incidents. We extend our condolences to the bereaved families and pray that the Lord comforts them,” Ms Among said.

His directive echoed Erute South MP Jonathan Odur’s call for government to conduct thorough investigations into the tragic incident.

He said: “What if someone deliberately opened the fuel to overflow and started the fire? Accidents happen in this country; I don’t know why they are being investigated and the reports are being kept secret and we are allowing the public to keep guessing what happened.”

Mr. Odur and other lawmakers have demanded that investigations focus on the quality of trucks that transport fuel across the country.

He added: “To transport fuel, there are standards that must be met to deal with even extreme accident conditions: even when the tanker falls, it becomes very difficult for the fuel to flow. »

Speaker Among agreed with the Erute South MP. “I think he’s right, we really need a full report on this incident,” she said.

Mr Hamson Obua, the chief government whip, promised to convey the directive to the relevant ministries, although no specific deadline was given.

“In the spirit of the debate, three ministries should come and inform Parliament of the issues raised by MPs. They will be tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident,” Mr Obua told Parliament.

He added: “I would suggest that the Home Office, which has responsibility for investigations, gives us its preliminary findings on what happened. »

Mr Obua also tasked the ministries of Works and Transport, Energy and Interior to lead the investigations.

In a similar tone, Mr. Joel Ssenyonyi, Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, pleaded for support to families affected by the inferno.

“I would also like to challenge the government; let’s help these people as quickly as possible. Many have died, many are hospitalized, let’s support them. An accident has happened, we hope the investigation report will be released soon, but let us support these people,” Mr Ssenyonyi said.

Meanwhile, Ms Ethel Betty Naluyima, Wakiso District MP, suggested that the movement of tankers be restricted to night hours only to minimize similar tragedies.

“Let us carry out continuous campaigns on how to deal with road accidents, especially those involving fuel tankers, as this incident could have been avoided if people had been informed of the dangers; unfortunately, they rushed to collect the spilled fuel,” she added.

Ms Naluyima also proposed that police firefighters be stationed in different police stations across the country. “We cannot rely solely on the Kampala Fire Station because it took more than an hour and a half for police firefighters to reach the scene,” she said.