Chariots of death

Dodoma/Dar. It was just after midnight yesterday when yet another deadly road accident involving government vehicles reared its ugly head, becoming the fifth in a series of similar tragedies that have shocked the nation in the last five months.

Mr Abubakar Ndwata, a civil servant, watched the tragedy as it unfolded, as six people travelling in a Land Cruiser STL 5260, perished on the spot at Sejeli village in Kongwa District, Dodoma. The driver of the vehicle died later in hospital.

Reports say five of those who died are relatives of the Deputy Controller and Auditor General (CAG), Mr Benjamin Magai, who were travelling from a funeral in Chato District, Geita Region.

Their bodies have been preserved at the Dodoma Regional Hospital mortuary. The hospital’s Medical Officer in Charge, Dr Ibenza Ernest, named those who died as Grace Masatu, 42; Godfrey Samson, 28; Andrew Lucas, 24; Williherimia Fredcas Magai, 58; and George Zakayo, 42. The Dodoma Regional Police Commander, Mr Gilles Murotto, said the vehicle, belonging to the office of the CAG and travelling to Dar es Salaam, hit a parked lorry before plunging into another government vehicle belonging to the Public Service Social Security Fund (PSSSF) that was heading to Dodoma.

Mr Ndwata, a senior government official, who was in the PSSSF vehicle (SU 41173), says he was on a tight deadline to present eight policy papers for the PSSSF at an upcoming meeting; so, he had no choice but to travel beyond midnight.

“Given our strict deadlines and the targets we have set for ourselves at PSSSF, you shouldn’t be surprised that we were travelling at that time,’’ he spoke while in hospital in Dodoma where he is nursing injuries.

He was travelling with two other people in the PSSSF vehicle.

It was reported yesterday that one person, who was also in the PSSSF vehicle died later in hospital, making a total of those died to eight.

Home Affairs Ministry Deputy Principal Secretary, Mr Ramadhan Kailima, believes these accident could be avoided if not for the drivers’ fatigue and late night driving.

“Most of these accidents involving government vehicles occur at night. We are looking into ways of putting strict time limits for them,’’ he told journalists when he visited survivors of the accident at Dodoma Regional Hospital yesterday.

“One can blame the accident on anything else, the truth is most government drivers are qualified. What I see is that they drive long distances without resting. I think it’s time we set time limits,’’ the PS said.

In recent months, government-owned vehicles have been involved in fatal road accidents that claimed lives and left survivors with serious injuries, despite the government’s pledges to reinforce the road safety rules.

Just last month, in Singida Region, five public servants from the Ministry of Agriculture died after the vehicle they were travelling in was involved in a head-on-collision with a truck at Njirii area, Manyoni in Singida in October this year.

In the same month, three staff members of the Tanzania National Roads Agency (Tanroads) were killed while six other people on board suffered serious injuries in Misenyi District in Kagera Region.

In August this year, the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr Hamisi Kigwangalla, survived an accident that killed his information officer, Mr Hamza Temba, when a government vehicle they were trvelling in overturned at Magugu Village, Manyara Region.

On July 28 this year, the Trade and Investment Ministry’s vehicle was also involved in a fatal road accident in Geita Region killing the ministry’s information officer, Shadrack Sagati.

Yet in the same month, the Manuzi Ward councillor, Mr Elias Shukia, and the driver, Mr Haruna Ngata, were killed in car crash in Mkiwa area, Singida District involving a government owned vehicle.

Earlier in May, the Tanzania Investment Centre (TIC) was plunged into mourning after three of its senior officials died and two left severely injured in a road accident occurred near Chalinze, Coast Region. The officials were heading to Dodoma to attend a TIC meeting. The vehicle collided with a lorry.

It has since been blamed on reckless and dangerous driving by the 23-year-old driver of the government vehicle.

Recently, Home Affairs Minister Kangi Lugola was quoted as saying that government drivers are now leading in dangerous driving. He promised to crackdowns on state-owned vehicles in enforcement of rules.