In the first accident that occurred in Bagamoyo District, Coast Region, five members of one family died after their vehicle collided head-on with another car
Dar/Mwanza. Nine people have died in two separate road accidents in Coast and Mwanza regions, as President Samia Suluhu Hassan sent condolences to the families, relatives, and friends of the deceased.
In the first accident that occurred in Bagamoyo District, Coast Region, five members of one family died after their vehicle collided head-on with another car.
Among the deceased were two Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) employees: Francis Elineema Kaggi (ICT Officer) and Elineema Hamis Kaggi (Accountant), together with Francis’s three children and his brother-in-law.
Francis’s wife survived and is receiving treatment.
The family perished on Sunday, September 14, 2025, at Msata in Bagamoyo District, while returning from Tanga after attending the burial of Francis’s mother.
Two other family members survived, including the Deputy Head of Kisutu School and Francis’s wife, Ms Sophia Makange.
It is reported that the family was heading to Dar es Salaam after the burial in Tanga when the accident occurred.
The bodies were farewelled yesterday at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT), Kijitonyama Parish, Dar es Salaam, before burial, expected to take place on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at Kange Cemetery in Tanga.
Speaking during the service, Mr Kaggi, elder brother of the late Francis, said others who died in the accident were Francis’s daughters, Janemary and Maria, his youngest son Joshua, and his nephew Elineema Hamis Kaggi.
Francis’s biography
Mr Kaggi described his younger brother as a dedicated Tanesco employee until his untimely death.
He left behind his wife and one surviving child, Michelle, his third-born, out of four children.
He added that Francis married Sophia Makange in 2002, and they were blessed with four children, three of whom died with their father in the September 14 crash at Msata.
Mr Kaggi explained that Janemary, Francis’s eldest daughter, was an Officer for Trade and Industry at Igunga District Council, Tabora Region, at the time of her death.
His second-born daughter, Maria, had just completed Form Six this year, while his youngest son Joshua was a pupil at Sunrise Primary School.
Their brother-in-law, Elineema, who also died, was an accountant at Tanesco headquarters
President Samia’s condolences
President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed sorrow over the nuns’ deaths, stating: “I have received with deep sadness the news of the deaths of four sisters of the Congregation of the Carmelite Missionary Sisters of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus, together with their driver, in a road accident that occurred in Mwanza last night.
“I pray to Almighty God that they may rest in peace, and that He grants quick recovery to the one still undergoing treatment,” said President Hassan in a statement.
In her message, President Hassan extended condolences to the President of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), Bishop Wolfgang Pisa; the Carmelite Missionary Sisters; all Catholic faithful; Mwanza Regional Commissioner (RC) Said Mtanda; as well as relatives, friends, and all Tanzanians for this loss.
Four nuns perish in Mwanza
Another accident occurred in Mwanza Region, where four nuns of the Congregation of the Carmelite Missionary Sisters of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus died after their vehicle collided head-on with a lorry.
Among those who perished was the Superior General of the congregation, Sister Nelina Semeoni (60), an Italian national.
According to Mwanza Regional Police Commander (RPC), Wilbrod Mutafungwa, the accident occurred on Tuesday, September 15, 2025, at 7:50 a.m. in Bukumbi Village, Idetemya Ward, Misungwi District, along the Usagara–Kigongo Ferry Road.
The nuns were travelling to Mwanza Airport from their Bukumbi community in Misungwi District.
In addition to Sister Nelina, others who died were her assistant, Sister Lilian Kapongo (55) from Tabora; Sister Damaris Matheka (51), head of Bukumbi Girls’ Secondary School; and Kenyan national, Sister Stellamaris Kamene Muthin (48).
Their driver, Boniphace Msonola (53), also died in the accident.
However, a supervisor at Bukumbi Girls’ Secondary School, Sister Pauline Mipata (20), survived the crash and is admitted at Bugando Zonal Referral Hospital in Mwanza for treatment.
Religious ceremony
Before the accident, the nuns had been in Kahama, Shinyanga Region, for the Perpetual Vows ceremony of three fellow sisters, celebrated on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at the Catholic Archdiocese of Kahama.
The ceremony marks the final step for nuns in committing to permanent religious life.
After the event, they travelled to Mwanza to prepare for a journey to Dar es Salaam, but the trip was tragically cut short.
Police report
RPC Mutafungwa said the Bukumbi Girls’ Secondary School-owned Toyota Land Cruiser left its lane, leading to the crash.
The vehicle, driven by Mr Msonola, veered to the right side of the road and collided head-on with a lorry owned by Nyanza Road Works Company, driven by a resident of Buhongwa, Mr Venance Mashaka (61).
“In that accident, four people died on the spot, and one, the Toyota Land Cruiser driver died later at Bukumbi Hospital while receiving treatment,” said Mr Mutafungwa.
“The cause of the accident was overspeeding by the small vehicle, which attempted to overtake another car without caution, leading to the head-on collision with the oncoming lorry,” he added.
The bodies of the deceased have been preserved at Bugando Zonal Referral Hospital for medical examination, while the lorry driver is in police custody for questioning.
