Young man killed in accident was set to begin new job
The accident happened just one day before Jackson Justine was due to start his new job.
What you need to know:
- According to relatives, Jackson had been returning from Dar es Salaam, where he had gone to accompany Ayo, who had purchased a new car from her pension.
Moshi. A young graduate from the Tanzania Institute of Accountancy (TIA), Jackson Justine, was one of the three people who tragically lost their lives in a fatal road accident on February 1, 2025.
The accident happened just one day before he was due to start his new job.
The 25-year-old died along with his friend, Mark Exaud (22), and his friend’s mother, Apaikunda Ayo (61), a retired primary school teacher.
According to relatives, Jackson had been returning from Dar es Salaam, where he had gone to accompany Ayo, who had purchased a new car from her pension.
The three were travelling back to Arusha when their Toyota RAV4 collided head-on with an Esther Luxury Company bus at around 8:00 AM in the Mdawi area of Moshi District.
Speaking to reporters on February 6, Jackson’s sister-in-law, Janeth Lema, shared her disbelief at the tragic loss, saying, “We never expected such a thing would happen to him. He was a calm, God-fearing young man, always willing to help others.”
Jackson had graduated in July 2024, and after months of job hunting, had secured a position as Manager of the Youth Department at an international organisation based in Dar es Salaam.
He had signed his contract on January 30, 2025, and was due to report for work on 3rd February.
“Jackson got the job in January, and he was so eager to start his new role. He was supposed to report on Monday. He was rushing to get everything done,” Lema explained.
Jackson had informed his brother on January 31, about his plan to accompany his friend and her mother to Arusha, as he had experience in long-distance driving.
“He left the house on Friday night after stopping by a friend’s house,” said Lema. “By 9pm, he posted on WhatsApp saying, ‘On the way to Arusha.’”
Tragically, it was through social media that Jackson’s family learned of the accident. After confirming the vehicle’s registration number matched that of Jackson’s car, they feared for the worst. “It took us a while to accept the truth. We thought it was just be a bad dream,” Lema said.
The deceased were buried on 4th February 2025 in Imbaseni, Arumeru District, where Ayo had retired from teaching and her husband, Exaud Mbise, had purchased the car from Japan.
In an official statement, Kilimanjaro Regional Police Commander Simon Maigwa confirmed the accident was caused by the reckless driving of the smaller vehicle’s driver, who attempted to overtake other vehicles without caution, resulting in the head-on collision.
