KARUMA, Uganda – Two Uganda Revenue Authority officials, including senior communications officer Robert Wamala Rumanyika, have died after a vehicle struck an elephant at Murchison Falls National Park along the Gulu–Kampala highway near Karuma.
The crash happened at about 7 p.m. on Sunday when a drone vehicle registration number UA 20121AA, carrying six occupants, reportedly knocked down an elephant that was attempting to cross the road.
According to an eyewitness identified as Khalid, the injured animal became aggressive moments after the collision. The elephant reportedly rose and rammed the vehicle, pushing it off the road.
Four occupants were rescued from the wreckage after the elephant later collapsed again. However, two people, including Rumanyika, were trapped inside the vehicle and died at the scene.
Two female survivors sustained serious injuries and were first rushed to Kiryandongo Hospital before being referred to Kampala for specialized treatment.
By press time, neither the Uganda Wildlife Authority nor the Uganda Police Force had issued an official statement on the incident.
Under Uganda’s wildlife conservation laws, wild animals are protected by the state through the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Motorists traveling through national parks and wildlife corridors are required to drive cautiously and give way to animals crossing the road. Deliberately killing, injuring or disturbing protected wildlife can attract penalties under the Wildlife Act, although authorities also investigate whether incidents are accidental or caused by negligence.
The Karuma section of the Gulu–Kampala highway passes through a known wildlife corridor connected to Murchison Falls National Park, where elephants and other animals frequently cross, especially in the evening hours.
