Grace Nakintu the grandmother of the Allan Ssemaganda, the baby boy that passed away after a KCCA car run over him at City Hall on Tuesday, believes her grandson might have lived if KCCA had given them an ambulance to rush him to hospital after the accident.
Nakintu had taken the baby to be breastfed by the mother Madinah Namutebi after she had been arrested for vending on the Kampala streets, which is illegal.
Many put the blame on the grandmother’s negligence for letting the boy out of her sight when he crawled away and was run over the truck, but Nakintu believes had KCCA given them an ambulance, maybe, just maybe the boy would still be alive.
“Allan was still breathing after the accident. We pleaded with KCCA officials to give us an ambulance but they told us, madam Jennifer Musisi had said we had to solve our problems. We had to find a boda boda to take the boy to Mulago hospital,”a teary Nakintu said.
A statement from KCCA however says they provided an ambulance.
Ssemaganda’s mother Namutebi was vending oranges at Container Village in downtown Kampala when she was arrested on Monday and she spent the night at CPS. On Tuesday, she was arraigned before court at City Hall and the grandmother brought the baby for her to breastfeed and also help with court granting her a lighter sentence but fate had it otherwise.
After demise of the boy, the mother was released to grieve with the family and KCCA offered Shs2m to assist in burial arrangements. Residents of Masajja in Wakiso district where the boy hails from were angered and brought the body to KCCA and also returned the Shs2m plus sugar, rice and salt that the city authorities had given them.
Authorities closed the gates and the mourners lay the boy’s lifeless body at the KCCA gates until her mother Namutebi met with the city authorities.
According to a statement from KCCA, “The baby strayed away and went down the slope and into the parking lot behind city hall which has mature foliage forming the gardens. That a driver drove in and after dropping off staff reversed out of the parking and accidentally ran over the child, who just emerged from the foliage.”
“Police was informed and it is carrying out further investigations,” read KCCA’s statement on the matter.