Da Dona
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- Dec 16, 2025
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The recent spate of road crashes involving learners on educational trips has raised serious concerns over the safety of school travel in Uganda, prompting the government to suspend all school trips and educational excursions until further notice.
In just 8 days, (now) Four separate crashes involving school buses have left dozens dead and many others injured, sparking questions about whether schools are complying with safety requirements before undertaking long-distance journeys.
(i)
The latest and deadliest tragedy occurred on Thursday, July 16, in Kapchorwa District, where 21 people, including 20 pupils of King David Junior School in Ndejje, Kampala, and one adult, were killed after their bus crashed while returning from an educational tour of Sipi Falls.
According to police, the Isuzu bus, registration number UA 108BQ, reportedly developed mechanical problems before the driver lost control at Chekwatit Village in Kawowo Sub-county. The bus veered off the road, struck a large rock and overturned. Investigations into the exact cause of the crash are ongoing.
(ii)
Photo by Uganda Police.
The Kapchorwa tragedy came less than a week after another school trip turned tragic in Bugweri District. A bus belonging to Amuria High School, carrying students of St. Paul Secondary School, Katakwi, to Kasenyi Landing Site in Entebbe for a geography study tour, rammed into a stationary Mercedes-Benz Actros trailer along the Mbale–Iganga Highway. The driver died instantly, while 13 students, a teacher and the conductor sustained injuries.
(iii)
Photo by The Independent
Earlier, on July 10, a bus belonging to Mwebaze High School in Kakiri collided with a train at a railway crossing in Mukono District. Police CCTV footage showed the driver allegedly ignored warnings from a railway marshal attempting to stop the bus as the train approached. One person was killed in the crash.
(iv)
Although not a school trip, another major road crash underscored Uganda's broader road safety crisis. On July 7, 14 people were killed and 28 injured when an OPIT Travellers passenger bus collided head-on with a trailer at Bobi Trading Centre along the Kampala-Gulu Highway. Police said the bus driver was speeding and lost control while trying to avoid a pedestrian crossing the road.
The succession of crashes has intensified public concern over the safety of school transport, with many questioning whether vehicles are properly inspected before trips, whether drivers are adequately qualified to transport learners over long distances, and whether schools conduct sufficient risk assessments before approving educational excursions.
Government Suspends School Trips:
Photo: John Chrysostom Muyingo, State Minister for higher Education and Acting Minister for Education and Sports - image courtesy of Daily Monitor
Following the Kapchorwa tragedy, the Ministry of Education and Sports announced the immediate suspension of all school trips and educational excursions across the country until further notice.
The ministry said the decision was taken to protect learners as government reviews existing guidelines governing school travel.
Among the areas expected to be reviewed are:
•Mandatory mechanical inspection and certification of vehicles before every school trip.
•Verification of driver qualifications and fitness.
•Stronger supervision of learners during travel.
•Comprehensive risk assessments before educational excursions are approved.
•Stricter enforcement of road safety regulations for schools and transport operators.
The suspension will remain in force until the government completes its review and issues revised safety guidelines.
As investigations into the three school bus crashes continue, the recent tragedies have reignited calls for stricter enforcement of school transport regulations to ensure educational trips remain safe learning experiences rather than journeys ending in tragedy.
In just 8 days, (now) Four separate crashes involving school buses have left dozens dead and many others injured, sparking questions about whether schools are complying with safety requirements before undertaking long-distance journeys.
(i)
The latest and deadliest tragedy occurred on Thursday, July 16, in Kapchorwa District, where 21 people, including 20 pupils of King David Junior School in Ndejje, Kampala, and one adult, were killed after their bus crashed while returning from an educational tour of Sipi Falls.
According to police, the Isuzu bus, registration number UA 108BQ, reportedly developed mechanical problems before the driver lost control at Chekwatit Village in Kawowo Sub-county. The bus veered off the road, struck a large rock and overturned. Investigations into the exact cause of the crash are ongoing.
(ii)
Photo by Uganda Police.
The Kapchorwa tragedy came less than a week after another school trip turned tragic in Bugweri District. A bus belonging to Amuria High School, carrying students of St. Paul Secondary School, Katakwi, to Kasenyi Landing Site in Entebbe for a geography study tour, rammed into a stationary Mercedes-Benz Actros trailer along the Mbale–Iganga Highway. The driver died instantly, while 13 students, a teacher and the conductor sustained injuries.
(iii)
Photo by The Independent
Earlier, on July 10, a bus belonging to Mwebaze High School in Kakiri collided with a train at a railway crossing in Mukono District. Police CCTV footage showed the driver allegedly ignored warnings from a railway marshal attempting to stop the bus as the train approached. One person was killed in the crash.
(iv)
Although not a school trip, another major road crash underscored Uganda's broader road safety crisis. On July 7, 14 people were killed and 28 injured when an OPIT Travellers passenger bus collided head-on with a trailer at Bobi Trading Centre along the Kampala-Gulu Highway. Police said the bus driver was speeding and lost control while trying to avoid a pedestrian crossing the road.
The succession of crashes has intensified public concern over the safety of school transport, with many questioning whether vehicles are properly inspected before trips, whether drivers are adequately qualified to transport learners over long distances, and whether schools conduct sufficient risk assessments before approving educational excursions.
Government Suspends School Trips:
Photo: John Chrysostom Muyingo, State Minister for higher Education and Acting Minister for Education and Sports - image courtesy of Daily Monitor
Following the Kapchorwa tragedy, the Ministry of Education and Sports announced the immediate suspension of all school trips and educational excursions across the country until further notice.
The ministry said the decision was taken to protect learners as government reviews existing guidelines governing school travel.
Among the areas expected to be reviewed are:
•Mandatory mechanical inspection and certification of vehicles before every school trip.
•Verification of driver qualifications and fitness.
•Stronger supervision of learners during travel.
•Comprehensive risk assessments before educational excursions are approved.
•Stricter enforcement of road safety regulations for schools and transport operators.
The suspension will remain in force until the government completes its review and issues revised safety guidelines.
As investigations into the three school bus crashes continue, the recent tragedies have reignited calls for stricter enforcement of school transport regulations to ensure educational trips remain safe learning experiences rather than journeys ending in tragedy.
