Kamuli Bus Horror: Minister Muyingo Invokes God ‘protection’ as Kapchorwa Tragedy Forces Crackdown on School Trips

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda reports that State Minister for Higher Education Dr. John Chrysostom Muyingo has thanked God after 31 students survived a night-time road crash on the Kamuli–Jinja Highway, while warning that the incident underscores the need for tighter controls on school travel. The crash reportedly happened at about 9:30 p.m. on Friday at Busota Village, near Busota Health Centre in Kamuli District, involving a school bus and a Tata lorry.

According to the report, Busoga North police spokesperson Michael Kasadha said the bus belonged to Buzaaya Secondary School and was carrying students from Nalongo Secondary School in Namwendwa. Police preliminary findings cited in the article indicate the lorry, travelling from Kamuli toward Jinja, attempted a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre before entering the opposite lane and colliding with the bus. The injured students — 20 girls and 11 boys — were taken to Kamuli General Hospital, with police investigations continuing into the cause and the vehicles’ safety compliance.

Muyingo said Ministry of Education and Sports officials had been sent to Kamuli to establish the facts, and he urged school administrators across Uganda to halt planned educational trips until comprehensive safety guidance is issued. He also criticized reckless driving and unauthorized movement of students at night.

The Kamuli crash follows a fatal accident in Kapchorwa involving pupils from King David Junior School, Ndejje, which Watchdog Uganda says has intensified national debate on learner safety during school tours. Education commentator Emmy Kasule backed stricter enforcement, warning against long, poorly planned trips and questioning whether some tours are driven more by revenue than education.