The Gardeners and their children
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I The Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) has denied liability in an incident which claimed the life of an American national, Savanah Gardener.
A fatal accident occurred on the evening of Friday, December 19, 2025, at the Wankoko level crossing in Bugolobi when the commuter train traveling from Kampala to Namanve collided with a private motor vehicle, a Mitsubishi Pajero with registration number UBF 582X.
The Pajero was carrying four occupants identified as Gardener Mathew, Savana Gardener, and two children. All the occupants are American nationals working with an NGO known as Baptism Mission in Uganda.
Savana Gardener, who was seated in the co-driver’s seat, was killed while others are in the hospital.
“Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) regrets to inform the public of a fatal accident that occurred on the evening of Friday, December 19, 2025, at the Wankoko level crossing in Bugolobi. The incident, which took place at approximately 5:37 PM, involved our evening Commuter Train Service traveling from Kampala to Namanve and a private motor vehicle, a Mitsubishi Pajero with registration number UBF 582X,” reads in part the statement authored by URC Managing Director, Benon M. Kajuna.
It however pointed out that preliminary reports indicate that at the time of the incident, the level crossing was being manned by staff from both the Railways Police and URC in line with the required safety guidelines.
As a way of shifting blame, URC pointed out that the victim was not compliant with the safety procedures.
“Traffic on all sides of the level crossing (Bugolobi, Port Bell road, and 3rd Street) had come to a complete stop to allow the train to pass safely. However, the driver of the Pajero, an American national, attempted to cross the track, resulting in a collision with the oncoming train. URC has instituted internal investigations and is fully cooperating with Uganda Police Force investigators to find out what exactly happened,” further reads the statement.
Eye witness account
Several eye witnesses that Habari Daily spoke to however, pointed out that during the time of the accident, there were no rail guards stationed at the Wankoko point.
“Traffic was not stopped at the time of the accident. At this point URC usually uses horns to ward road users of the coming train. Due to background noise and traffic jam, someone can easily miss the warning, leading to tragedy,” said a Bugolobi resident who identified himself as Bernard.
Other residents called for the use of automatic or manual barrier gates, which block the vehicles when the train is coming, adding that there is need for warning lights or clear signage to warn road users.
Key unanswered questions
1-Police sources suggest the crash was due to careless driving, but can authorities confirm if the victim ignored signals from the railway police officer on duty?”.
2-What exactly did witnesses see just before the collision with the vehicle registered UBF 582X?”.
3-This hazard has been around for long, and several victims have lost their lives at this point, has URC ever made an effort to institute safety procedures?
4-Has Wankoko’s accident history ever been documented by the authorities?
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