Uganda tightens school transport rules as crashes involving learners rise

What the report says

Uganda has introduced new school transport rules after a series of deadly crashes involving learners prompted concern over safety on the roads. According to The Observer, the measures were announced by the ministries of Education and Sports and Works and Transport and are aimed at tightening oversight of vehicles, drivers and enforcement in school transport.

The new steps include stricter vehicle inspections, specialised driver certification and stronger compliance checks. School vehicles will be expected to have valid Private Motor Omnibus licences and Inspection of Vehicles certification, while drivers must hold permits appropriate to the vehicles they operate. The government also moved to suspend school study tours and educational trips until further notice while broader consultations continue.

The policy shift follows recent tragedies, including a July crash in Kapchorwa in which at least 20 pupils and an adult were killed when a King David Junior School bus crashed, leaving other children injured. Officials said the broader challenge includes speeding, overcrowding, fatigue, unroadworthy vehicles and weak safety standards. The report said Uganda records more than 25,000 road crashes a year, though these figures were presented in the article as background from officials rather than as a new government finding.

The meeting that produced the resolutions was organised by ITMS Uganda with the Works and Transport ministry, the Uganda Professional Drivers’ Network and Traffic Police. Authorities said they will also use tools such as speed cameras and automatic number plate recognition to support enforcement, while calling for safer school-zone infrastructure and shared responsibility among schools, parents, transport operators and agencies.