Fr Richard was traveling back from a funeral of his aunt. At the time of the accident he was in a semi-public vehicle, a Toyota Noah. The driver of the vehicle apparently tried to overtake a stationary truck but in the process was met with an oncoming vehicle. Reconstructing the facts from the police, it appears that there was a head-on collision. Fr Richard died on the spot.
Fr Mtui was born on 19 June 1977 in Mbahe Bondeni, Tanzania, entered the Novitiate of Debre Zeit, in Ethiopia, in 2000, made his perpetual vows in 2009 and was ordained priest in 2011. In his service to the Congregation and to the young, before being appointed Director of the Salesian community in Shinyanga, he had also held the position of Economer in Embu, Kenya, from 2011 to 2016.
“We pray for the eternal repose of Fr Richard at this moment we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. May the Lord of the resurrection grant him the joy of seeing our Father in heaven and also bring spiritual consolation to the family and to all of us,” said Fr Simon Asira Lipuku, SDB, Provincial of East Africa Province.
