HEARTBREAK UPON HEARTBREAK! URA Officer Killed In Elephant Crash Had Earlier Lost Four Siblings In Deadly Accident, Leaving Him Sole Survivor
Fresh heartbreaking details have emerged about Uganda Revenue Authority staff member Robert Lumanyika Wamala, one of the officers killed in the tragic Kampala–West Nile highway accident after the vehicle he was travelling in reportedly collided with a crossing elephant inside Murchison Falls National Park.
Colleagues and friends say the latest tragedy has reopened painful memories of another devastating family accident nearly eight years ago in which Robert reportedly lost four siblings, leaving him as the only surviving child in the family.
“About like eight years back, his family lost I think four siblings in an accident. Robert was the only surviving child I guess,” a source familiar with the family tragedy revealed.
“It was a very big tragedy then and most staff at URA went for burial.”
The latest accident happened on Sunday evening at around 8:00pm along the Kampala–West Nile highway as a team of URA staff returned to Kampala from official duty in Arua.
According to a statement issued Monday by URA under the title “URA Mourns Two Staff Members in Tragic Road Accident,” the vehicle the staff were travelling in reportedly collided with a crossing elephant in Nwoya District.
URA identified the deceased officers as Robert Lumanyika Wamala and Moses Adola.
Four other URA staff members survived the crash with injuries and are currently hospitalized where they are receiving treatment and close medical monitoring.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families, friends, loved ones and the entire URA fraternity during this difficult time,” URA said in the statement.
“We pray for a quick recovery for the injured and may the souls of the departed rest in eternal peace.”
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through URA, where Robert Lumanyika Wamala was widely known among colleagues, with many remembering him as a committed staff member and educator.
As news of his death spread, colleagues struggled to come to terms with the cruel twist of fate surrounding a man who had already endured enormous personal loss years earlier.
“Monday begins on a sombre note with the heartbreaking news of the passing of Ssalongo Robert Wamala Lumanyika, a friend and former colleague at URA, who tragically lost his life in a road crash last evening. Robert was a calm figure and yet full of life! A Taxman who dedicated his Communications career to developing tax education materials and sensitizing masses on compliance to tax laws and benefits of the same. So many attributes to miss! Deepest sympathies to his wife Nalongo, the children, friends, colleagues at URA and especially his mother, who only a few years ago endured the painful loss of her children in a similar tragedy! May Robert’s soul rest in eternity!” eulogized Ministry of Works Communications officer Allan Kyobe Ssempebwa.
Friends described the latest development as “unbearably painful” for the family, saying the earlier accident that wiped out his siblings had left deep emotional scars that never fully healed.
The accident has also reignited concerns about wildlife-related crashes along roads bordering protected national park areas, especially near sections around Nwoya and Karuma where elephants and other animals occasionally cross highways, particularly at night.
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