Pascal Lutabi was left unconscious after a car he was travelling in overturned in the Rakai district of Uganda. He was on his way to cover a protest against hiked taxes.
A WBS television journalist, Pascal Lutabi, was in critical condition after an accident, when a car he was travelling in overturned on 23 June 2013, at Kifamba along Mutukula road in the Rakai district.
He sustained a deep cut on the right side of his forehead, which left him unconscious. He was rescued by local residents, who rushed him to a nearby clinic, before he was taken to Bai International Medical hospital in Kampala, where he was admitted.
Lutabi – who was assaulted by Kalisizo prison warders in March – was heading to Mutukula to cover a news story of traders protesting against hiked taxes on some trade commodities in the area. Other occupants of the car miraculously escaped with no injuries.
His attendant, Julius Mujumbi, told Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda (HRNJ-Uganda) that Lutabi was now improving as he had regained his conscious, but called for help to settle the high hospital bill of over Ug.SHs 6 million.
“We learnt with sadness the sad news of such a fatal accident that nearly claimed the life of our member, Pascal, but we are hopeful that he will recover quickly. As a freelance journalist, we know that Pascal needs a lot of financial help to pull through this trying moment of his life, so we call upon members of the media fraternity and other stakeholders to come to his rescue,” said HRNJ-Uganda’s National Coordinator, Geoffrey Wokulira Ssebaggala.
