School bus crash kills at least 20 pupils in Uganda

Sun Sep 06 2026 09:41:47 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A bus carrying pupils on a study tour crashed near Kapchorwa, Uganda, killing at least 20 students and one adult, sparking calls for stricter road safety.

A bus loaded with students from King David Junior School plunged from Chekwatit Hill near Kapchorwa, killing 20 pupils and a staff member. Preliminary reports point to a mechanical fault that caused the driver to lose control. The incident highlights ongoing concerns about Uganda’s road safety, where speeding and poorly maintained vehicles frequently cause fatal accidents. Officials are demanding tighter safety checks on school transport routes.

School bus crash kills at least 20 pupils in Uganda

A tragic bus crash on Chekwatit Hill near Kapchorwa on Thursday evening left 20 students and one adult dead.

The bus, carrying pupils from King David Junior School in Ndejje for a field trip that included a visit to Sipi Falls, lost control after a suspected mechanical fault, veering off the road and striking a large stone before overturning.

Dozens of staff and students sustained injuries. Eyewitness videos show the wreckage and villagers rushing to help.

Officials and the Minister of Local Government, Balaam Ateenyi Barugahara, expressed grief and urged tighter safety checks on school transport routes, citing speeding, poorly maintained vehicles and unsafe roads as key factors behind Uganda’s high annual road death toll.