A 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit the border areas of South Sudan and Uganda on Monday evening, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

The quake struck at 9:54 pm near Yei in Central Equatoria state, some 36 km North of Yumbe district in northern Uganda. The quake hit the area at a shallow depth of 8.4 km and didn’t cause significant damage. 

According to USGS, weak shakings as a result of the earthquake were however felt in the districts of Yumbe, some 52km from the epicenter, Moyo, 63 km away, Adjumani, 87 km away, Arua 107km away and Juba city 110km away.

The tremor sent some people in northern Uganda into panic and confusion. Olivia Milanzi, a resident of Arua Central Division in Arua city, says that she felt a strong vibration that left her room shaking. She noted that it was her first time experiencing such a strong earthquake. 

“I ran out of my house thinking it was going to collapse. The vibration was really very strong,” she said.  

Hundreds of miles away from the epicenter in Gulu city, Emma Ajok, a resident of Pece-Laroo Division was seated with her son on a chair in their living room when she felt the tremor.

“I was seated on my chair with my son Josh, I felt my chair shaking. I thought he was the one pushing it after the whole house was vibrating, later I thought somebody was driving my car, but it was a strange movement...Josh ran away from where he was seated while shouting 'Mum the house is going to fall let's get outside',” said Ajok. By URN/The Observer

A Catholic priest died on the spot and several passengers were seriously injured following a road accident involving five vehicles along the Nairobi-Nakuru highway.

During the accident at Kinungi Trading Centre, 20 people, including children, were injured.

The accident occurred after the driver of a lorry going downhill lost control and rammed into a personal car carrying the priest.

According to Henry Mbugua from Naivasha Safety Group, the lorry also hit another lorry that was heading in the opposite direction.

He said the 2am accident attracted motorists who parked by the roadside to assist those injured or trapped in the wrecks.

“In the process, a bus heading to Western Kenya veered off the road to avoid ramming into the wrecks and ended up hitting a Nissan matatu parked by the roadside,” said Mbugua.

Naivasha OCPD Benjamin Boen confirmed the incident, adding that the injured were rushed to Naivasha Sub-county Hospital, where six were admitted.

“We had an accident involving five cars along the highway where a Catholic priest lost his life while scores of passengers were injured,” he said.

Meanwhile, scores of motorists were stuck along the Mai Mahiu-Limuru Road for over four hours following an accident involving five trailers.

The situation was worsened by overlapping drivers along the narrow section of the road following the morning accident near Mai Mahui town.

A driver of one of the trucks, Sam Njue, said they were losing tens of hours every month due to the perennial jams on the section of the road.

“Two trailers were involved in an accident crossing one side of the road, and within 30 minutes, the road was impassable due to overlapping drivers,” he said.

Njue, who had spent three hours on the road, admitted that the solution lay in expanding the road.

“There is a need to think on how this road can be widened as the traffic flow has also increased,” he said. - Antony Gitonga, The Standard