Uganda suspends school excursions after bus crash kills 20 children
The Ugandan Ministry of Local Government has ordered an immediate suspension of all school outings following a fatal collision in Kapchorwa district that claimed the lives of 20 students and one adult.
Ugandan authorities have suspended all school trips and excursions effective immediately following a severe bus crash in the eastern part of the country. The accident, which occurred on Thursday night near Chekwatit village in the Kapchorwa district, resulted in the deaths of 20 schoolchildren and one adult. The vehicle was transporting students from King David Junior School back to the capital, Kampala, after an educational field trip to Sipi Falls.
Preliminary investigations by the Uganda Police Force suggest the driver lost control after the bus struck a large stone on the road. This impact caused the vehicle to veer off the roadway and overturn. While police have not ruled out other potential factors such as mechanical failure or driver impairment, the initial findings point to the road hazard as the primary cause of the loss of control.
The adult who died in the crash is believed to be the founder and head of King David Junior School. In addition to the fatalities, more than a dozen children and three adults were injured. Minister of Local Government Balaam Barugah Ateenyi confirmed via social media platform X that 28 children were receiving hospital treatment, with nine of them in critical condition. Officials have not yet released the names or ages of the deceased students.
Local residents arrived at the scene before official rescue teams could establish a full operational presence. Footage released by the Uganda Red Cross Society shows community members carrying victims from the wreckage, with some survivors transported to hospitals in pick-up trucks. The crash site is located approximately 300km from Kampala, near the border with Kenya.
The incident underscores a persistent governance challenge regarding road safety in Uganda, where infrastructure and vehicle maintenance issues frequently contribute to fatal accidents. Earlier this month, 14 people died in a collision between a bus and a truck in northern Uganda, and in October, 46 people perished in a multi-vehicle crash on the Kampala-Gulu highway. The government’s decision to halt all school excursions until further notice is a direct policy response to the immediate safety concerns raised by this tragedy.
