TANGA: EIGHT people have died and several others have been injured following a collision between a truck and a Toyota Coaster minibus at Michungwani Village, Handeni District in Tanga Region.
Tanga Regional Police Commander, Almachius Mchunguzi, confirmed to reporters that the accident occurred at around 11:00 am on Tuesday on the Segera-Chalinze main road.
Among the injured were Godlisen Minja (20), a businessman from Mabibo, Dar es Salaam; Riziki Mboya (28), a driver from Kilimanjaro and Lina Swai (25), a businesswoman. Others included Gospan Lema (24), an electrician from Temeke, Dar es Salaam; Loyce James (27), a resident of Buguruni, Dar es Salaam; Lucy Urio (24), also a resident of Dar es Salaam; truck driver Yohana Stephano (35), from Goba, Dar es Salaam; and his conductor, Samweli Hossen (24), also from Dar es Salaam.
The truck involved in the crash is owned by Starling Gulf Trading Company and was travelling from Tanga to Dar es Salaam. The minibus, owned by Naman Joel Mkumbo, was enroute from Dar es Salaam to Kilimanjaro.
According to the RPC, the accident occurred when the minibus driver lost control of the vehicle, veered into the opposite lane and collided head-on with the truck. All the injured passengers were rushed to Magunga Hospital in Korogwe District for treatment. The bodies of those who died in the accident are at the hospital’s mortuary pending identification.
Handeni District Commissioner Albert Msando, also the Chairman of the District’s Security and Safety Committee, took to social media to urge drivers to adhere to road safety rules. “This accident was caused by the driver’s negligence,” he wrote. “Due to repeated careless behaviour, I have instructed the District Police Commander to take legal action against anyone violating traffic laws in Handeni and we will seek jail sentences.”
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Tanzania has seen a significant increase in accidents during the Christmas and year-end festive period. On Sunday afternoon, Amos Nnko, Director of Administration and Human Resource Management at the Office of the Treasury Registrar, tragically died in a car accident in Same area, Kilimanjaro Region.
His daughter, Maureen Nnko, also perished, while his wife Agnes and two children, Marilyn and Melvin, along with another family member, Sylvana, were injured.
Additionally, on Saturday, 11 people died and 26 others were injured in a crash in Biharamulo District, Kagera Region. Another similar incident in Morogoro a week earlier resulted in 15 deaths. On December 3, a road accident in Karagwe District, Kagera Region, claimed seven lives and left nine others injured.
In response to the rising number of accidents, President Samia Suluhu Hassan recently called for heightened vigilance in enforcing road safety laws, stressing that human life is irreplaceable. She urged for coordinated efforts to protect lives.
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In line with this, the Ministry of Transport, together with the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), has begun implementing measures to deduct points from drivers’ licences for violations. Stricter vehicle inspections have also been introduced to ensure road safety.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Camillus Wambura has announced significant changes within the traffic unit. Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SACP) William Mkonda has been appointed as the new Chief Traffic Officer, replacing Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ramadhani Ng’anzi, who has been reassigned to head the Social Ethics and Offences Department at the Criminal Investigation Headquarters in Dodoma.
Other key changes have also been made within the traffic unit to enhance efficiency and road safety enforcement.
