A bus driver has been sentenced to two years in prison for causing a head-on collision with a truck in which two fellow Ugandan security guards were killed.
The High Criminal Court yesterday found the man guilty on six charges, including reckless driving and wrongful death, and also ruled to deport him after completing his sentence.
Julius Muhwezi, aged 33, who was sitting in the front passenger’s seat next to the defendant, and Isaac Ssebadduka, aged 37, who was sitting in the back with other co-workers, when the accident took place at 6.35am on August 2 this year, as the workers had just finished a night shift and were leaving the Hafeera Industrial Area in the Toyota mini-bus.
According to the verdict, the defendant was tried in the Lower Criminal Court first, where he admitted to the charges, but the case was referred to the High Criminal Court since it was deemed better specialised to hear the case.
He was found guilty of committing a dangerous and unlawful manoeuvre on a two-way road by overtaking a large truck, only to get in a head-on with another truck.
He was also convicted of violating traffic safety regulations on a two-way road, not driving on the right side of the road, driving recklessly, and not exercising necessary caution while driving.
He was further convicted of causing damage to property, as both vehicles were wrecked in the accident.
The Toyota HiAce, which the defendant was driving, appeared severely mangled in a photo posted online following the accident.
The Pakistani truck driver reportedly suffered a fracture in his right leg and bled from a head injury, but was in a stable condition.
Two other Ugandans, who were also on the bus, sustained some injuries and had to stay in the hospital for some time.
“It was nearly 7am, and I had just finished my shift at Askar Harbour,” one of the security guards, the late victims’ colleague, testified.
“The defendant came to drop off the guards working the morning shift, and to take us home.
“I fell asleep on the bus since I was exhausted. I heard the sound of the vehicle veering into the other lane. The crash happened, and I crawled out of the window of the mini bus.”
The Public Prosecution had demanded the maximum punishment possible in the case.
“No mercy or lenience should be afforded to the defendant as he does not deserve it,” read a memo.
“The court must make a decisive judgement to protect lives and deter others from committing the same actions.”
According to Ugandan newspaper The Daily Monitor, Mr Muhwezi hailed from the Ibanda district, while Mr Ssebadduka was from Sheema district.
Many people from Uganda mourned the two on TikTok posts, describing them as ‘hustlers’ who had left their home country looking for a better life.
Both the men reportedly worked for the same security firm and lived together in the same labour accommodation.
They had both been in Bahrain for four years at the time of the accident, and were set to return to home next month for a break.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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