A bus carrying Members of Parliament from Tanzania was involved in a head-on collision on Friday while traveling to Mombasa for the East African Community (EAC) inter-parliamentary sports games.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula confirmed the incident, noting that there were no fatalities.
However, 19 people sustained injuries, including 16 lawmakers, two parliamentary staff, and the bus driver.
The accident occurred in Mbande area, Kongwa District, Dodoma region, when the Shabiby bus collided with a lorry.
Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that the bus driver was overtaking without proper caution, leading to the collision.
The injured were taken to Benjamin Mkapa Hospital, Dodoma Regional Referral Hospital, and Uhuru Hospital in Tanzania for treatment.
Speaker Wetang’ula expressed his wishes for their quick recovery, adding, “You will get better information once we reach Mombasa. The team managing the games will provide updates.”
Despite the accident, the EAC inter-parliamentary sports games officially kicked off on Friday, December 6, and will run until Wednesday, December 18.
The games will feature participants from six delegations: Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), and the host nation, Kenya.
The competitions will take place across six venues, with additional training grounds prepared for the eight sports disciplines: football, netball, volleyball, basketball, darts, athletics, tug-of-war, and golf.
Key Venues for the Games: Mbaraki Stadium: Hosting football, athletics, and tug-of-war, Shanzu Teachers Training College (TTC): Hosting similar events as Mbaraki Stadium,
Aga Khan Academy and KPA Makande Hall: Hosting netball, volleyball, basketball, and darts for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) and Nyali Golf Club: Hosting golf competitions.
The opening ceremony will take place on December 7, beginning with a procession from the Office of the Mombasa Governor to the Mama Ngina Waterfront, where speeches will be delivered.
This marks the 14th edition of the EAC games, aimed at fostering regional unity and collaboration through sports.
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