PHOTOS: 24 pupils on excursion die in Uganda bus crash

What the report says

The Punch reported that 24 pupils from King David Junior School have died after a bus crash in eastern Uganda during a school excursion. The crash occurred along the Kaserem section of the Kapchorwa–Mbale Road, near Chekwatit village in Kapchorwa district, as the children were returning from an educational visit to Sipi Falls on July 17, 2026. The report said the toll increased from 21 after three more pupils died while under medical care.

Citing a statement posted on X by SP Michael Kananura, Public Relations Officer of Uganda’s Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety, The Punch said 18 of the dead had been identified. Three bodies were at Kapchorwa Hospital and three others at Mbale Hospital pending identification. Another 23 victims were still receiving treatment at Kapchorwa Hospital, while pupils who did not require admission had returned safely to Kampala on a Gateway Bus.

According to the police account carried by The Punch, the school group left Kampala at about 5 a.m. in two buses and two taxis. The other vehicles were not involved in the crash and returned with their occupants. Police said the bus driver had not yet been formally identified, but was believed to be critically injured and among patients being treated in Mbale.

The report said Uganda’s Minister of Education and Sports convened an emergency meeting and announced a temporary nationwide suspension of school educational trips. Authorities said the pause is intended to support investigations into recent crashes involving schoolchildren, review excursion safety rules, and carry out road-safety sensitisation for schools, transport operators, teachers and other stakeholders.