King David School Prioritises Healing Before Reopening

What the report says

Nile Post reported that King David Junior School has delayed resuming normal classes while it concentrates on counselling pupils and staff, supporting families who lost relatives, and holding commemorative activities after the Kapchorwa road crash that killed 24 people, among them the school’s director, Tadeo Ssekadde. The school community is expected to take about two weeks before reopening fully, according to the report.

Headteacher Ssalongo Stanley Musagala told Nile Post that conditions at the school are slowly stabilising as injured learners recover. Some pupils who had been hospitalised have reportedly been discharged and returned to their families, while others remain under care depending on their condition. The school also plans a memorial Mass for the pupils and director who died, and teachers have been assigned to visit bereaved families to offer condolences and psychosocial support.

The crash happened at Kaserem on the Kapchorwa–Mbale Road as learners were returning from an educational tour, Nile Post reported. Traffic Police later said the number of fatalities had climbed to 24 after three more pupils died from their injuries while receiving treatment. The incident has been described in the report as one of Uganda’s deadliest recent school transport disasters.

The tragedy has also prompted wider action on school travel. The government indefinitely suspended school study tours nationwide while authorities review enforcement of road safety rules for learner transport. Nile Post said the Education and Sports ministry, Works and Transport ministry, and Uganda Police Force have announced steps intended to improve safety for pupils during school-related journeys.