A Chinese construction firm, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), has attributed the death of a worker on its Mukono Municipality Road construction site to gaps in operational safety.
The worker, identified as Ambrose Niwamanya, died after a wheel loader accidentally struck a concrete barricade, which then fell on him while he was reportedly resting behind it.
The incident occurred on Friday, February 28, 2025, at around 4:30 p.m. during a backfilling operation on Albert Cook-Cathedral Rise.
Mukono Town Clerk, Francis Byabagambi, confirmed the fatality in a statement, explaining that despite immediate medical attention and being rushed to Mukono Church of Uganda Hospital, Niwamanya succumbed to his injuries later that night.
Authorities have not provided hospital records or postmortem reports to verify these claims, though it is understood that he was later taken to Kawolo Hospital, where the postmortem was conducted.
Initial reports suggest that Niwamanya was hit by the wheel loader while working in a pit making refills.
However, sources familiar with the situation, including a casual laborer who spoke on condition of anonymity, question the claim that he was merely resting in the middle of the road, noting that the construction zone is still used by public vehicles despite ongoing work.
According to a statement released by CCCC, the root cause analysis of the incident revealed multiple contributing factors.
These included limited visibility for the wheel loader operator due to blind spots, worker fatigue leading to poor judgment in choosing a resting spot, and the absence of an alarm warning system on the vehicle.
The firm’s safety protocols, which include induction training for workers and operators, were acknowledged by Eng. Stephen Kibuuka of UB Consulting.
However, he admitted that the incident highlighted significant safety gaps.
The company has pledged to address these through corrective measures, though operations were only suspended for one day after the fatality before resuming work.
The contractor has also contributed UGX 5 million towards burial arrangements for Niwamanya, who was laid to rest in Muko Kabaale District.
While CCCC has taken some steps to respond to the incident by reporting the matter to Mukono Traffic Police, the Crimes Intelligence Department have also launched a death general enquiry file into the matter.
The police investigation is focused on identifying safety gaps rather than assigning blame at this stage.
Any negligence found will lead to appropriate legal or disciplinary actions in accordance with company policy, Ugandan labor laws, and other applicable regulations.
The road construction project, which is worth UGX 46 billion, was awarded to CCCC for the development of several roads, including Wantoni-Kame, Kame Annex, Albert-Cook Road, Cathedral Rise, and Kame-Katosi Road.
The contractor was given 18 months to complete the project, and authorities have indicated that the investigation could potentially impact the project’s timeline.
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