A second worker has died following an industrial accident at the Sena Factory, a Chinese-owned paper mill in Mbalala Industrial Park, Mukono District, officials have confirmed.
Eighteen-year-old Mesarch Obba succumbed to internal injuries at Mulago Hospital after being crushed by a faulty forklift on February 17.
His death comes just days after another worker, Gerald Wasswa Mukisa, was killed in a separate incident at the same factory.
Deputy Resident District Commissioner (DRDC) Hasan Kasibante said factory management has been compelled to cover Obba’s burial expenses, with the family receiving 16 million Ugandan shillings (£3,400) in compensation.
The latest tragedy follows the death of Mukisa, also 18, who was decapitated on 18 February after being pulled into a paper grinding machine.
Mukisa had recently completed secondary school and had taken the job to save money for his A-Level education.
A third worker, whose identity has not been disclosed, sustained serious injuries in a similar incident and is undergoing treatment at Mulago Hospital.
The Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, attributed the fatalities to negligence and inadequate safety measures.
Inspectors from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, along with local officials, have since visited the factory to assess working conditions.
According to Kasibante, authorities have recommended the ‘bloody spilling” factory be shut down due to its failure to meet basic safety standards.
The incidents have intensified calls for stricter enforcement of workplace regulations in Uganda’s growing industrial sector.
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