The Mayor of Masaka City , Florence Namayanja, escaped unhurt after a speeding tuk-tuk rammed into her parked vehicle at Kidda Trading Centre in Nyendo-Mukungwe Division.
Namayanja was on official duty to commission a newly acquired road maintenance tractor purchased jointly by the divisions of Nyendo-Mukungwe and Kimaanya-Kabonera using locally generated revenue.
The incident occurred near the launch venue when a tuk-tuk reportedly lost control and crashed into the mayor’s vehicle before speeding away from the scene. Although the vehicle sustained damage, all occupants inside escaped without injuries.
An eyewitness, Muhammad Zimula, said the tuk-tuk driver was travelling at high speed from the Buwunga direction toward Masaka City when he failed to negotiate a corner.
“The driver was moving too fast and lost control at the bend,” Zimula said. He called for the installation of speed humps along the road to curb reckless driving and reduce the risk of accidents.
Despite the incident, Namayanja proceeded with the commissioning of the new tractor, which was purchased at a cost of approximately UGX 1.18 billion. She said the acquisition would significantly improve service delivery in the city, noting that the lack of road maintenance equipment had long hampered infrastructure works.
“We have been relying on borrowed machinery from neighbouring districts, which has been both expensive and inefficient,” Namayanja said.
The City Engineer, John Baptist Muzibira, described the purchase as a major milestone for the city. He explained that funds previously spent on hiring road equipment would now be redirected toward fuel and maintenance, enabling more frequent road grading.
Muzibira revealed that Masaka City has approximately 432 kilometres of roads, of which only 43 kilometres are paved. He said the new tractor would help ensure that all roads are graded at least twice annually.
He added that road maintenance activities had already begun in Kitengeesa Parish and that the tractor would subsequently be deployed across the city’s 24 wards, prioritising roads with heavy traffic volumes and urgent maintenance needs.
Meanwhile, residents welcomed the development but urged city authorities to go beyond grading and consider tarmacking some roads. Nuru Namuddu, a resident of Kidda Cell, appealed to officials to prioritise the tarmacking of the Kidda–Kitengeesa Road.
“The dust along this road is overwhelming. Even goods sold in shops, such as maize flour, sugar and groundnuts, get contaminated by dust, which affects both customers and businesses,” Namuddu said.
Residents expressed hope that the new road maintenance equipment will improve the condition of roads across the city while accelerating plans for more permanent infrastructure upgrades.
